About 40 per cent of Australians say that they should be allowed to travel overseas once they have been vaccinated against COVID-19, a new survey by Lowy Institute has found.
“There is a strong argument to suggest that taking vaccines is part of a path back to normal,” said Natasha Kassam, Lowy Institute director of public opinion and foreign policy program.
“We can’t be a fortress forever,” she added.
Half of older Australians, aged 60 and over are in favour of vaccinated travel but younger Australians, aged between 18 and 59 were more reluctant with only 35 per cent saying they should be free to go overseas now.
The survey of 2222 people found that there is strong backing for the government’s closure of international borders.
This has banned Australians from leaving the country unless they received an exemption and stopped Australia citizens, permanent residents and overseas visitors from getting into the country.
Forty-one per cent agreed that Australians should not be allowed to leave the country without an exemption, compared to one in five who say Australians should be free to come and go as they please.
Almost 60 per cent of Australians say that the Federal Government has done enough to bring Australians home during the pandemic. Only one third of respondents said the government had not done enough.
About two-thirds of Australians said that Australia had handled the pandemic response ”very well” – up from 43 per cent last year.