Exploring the distribution, trends, and causal associations of household economic burden in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown blues (2020-2021): A longitudinal national survey

Abstract

Background The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown blues have triggered health emergencies and economic shocks around the globe. While the prolonged lockdown helped to reduce the spread of the disease it posed multifaceted economic downturns. This study investigated the household economic burden (HEB) denominated by the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in Australia.Methods We used the data from the ‘ANU Poll 2020–2021 Longitudinal’ survey, which was undertaken among Australian adults and followed a prospective longitudinal quantitative design. The longitudinal effect was captured using a random-effects ordered logistic regression analysis, which predicted changes in the relationship between HEB and participant’s employment status, geographical distribution, and socio-economic status controlling for age, gender, education, and citizenship status.Results Six percent of the participants underwent an extreme level of HEB (6.08%, 95% confidence interval, CI: 5.74–6.44), whereas 13.29% (12.80–13.80) of participants experienced severe HEB, and 46% (45.12–46.60) faced the limited HEB. The magnitude of extreme level of HEB was pronounced among permanently sick/disabled (22.35%, 18.97–26.14) and unemployed (12.35%, 10.65–14.28) participants. Permanently sick/disabled (adjusted odds ratio, OR = 7.82; 5.69–10.75) and unemployed (OR = 4.53; 3.64–5.63) participants were significantly more likely to have high-level HEB, compared to participants in paid work. The odds of having a high-level HEB were significantly higher among participants who lived in New South Wales (OR = 3.03; 1.37–6.68) followed by Victoria (OR = 3.31; 1.50–7.31), Queensland (OR = 3.27; 1.50–7.31) and Western Australia (OR = 3.55; 1.53–8.26).Conclusion A substantial proportion of the Australian population experienced a high-level HEB due to COVID-19 pandemic lockdown blues, which were more pronounced among the permanently sick/disabled individuals. This HEB might lead to a considerable burden on the Australian national economy. Therefore, policymakers should consider developing and improving sustainable economic recovery strategies to diminish the inequalities accentuated by the lockdown blues, especially among the marginalised strata.