The Impact of the Pandemic on Opinion toward the Role of Government in Australia

The 2020–23 COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a level of government-imposed restrictions on personal freedom unknown outside of wartime. How did these restrictions affect citizens’ views about the appropriate role of government? To answer this question, we use a unique longitudinal dataset that matches the public’s views about the role of government in Australia to local variations in restrictions on personal freedom aimed at reducing community infection. We identify the extent to which local level restrictions on personal freedom, which varied widely across Australia, affected the public’s views about government intervention. The results show that there was initial support for intervention but continuing restrictions on personal freedom resulted in less support for government intervention, particularly in areas of government policy that affected relatively small population groups. The findings suggest that restrictions on personal freedom significantly changed the public’s views about the role of government in their lives.