Economy, climate ‘more important than Covid’

Protectionists – more the Nationalist minor party voters than anyone else – put the emphasis on localising production and bringing industries home. Surprisingly there was an awareness of the way in which universities have become beholden to overseas students and a belief this needs to change as well.

The right and the left also seemed to agree that we should look at our immigration levels and reduce them for varied reasons including protecting the environment moderating house prices and decreasing congestion.

From the regions there was also a call for a greater emphasis on water conservation projects, like dams.

Only slightly more than a third (36 per cent) think things will return to normal while 39 per cent think change is irreversible. 24 per cent are unsure. But there is more agreement than you might think.

“Normal” is a dynamic concept for many respondents, and doesn’t mean things will be exactly the same, just that they expect COVID restrictions to end. For them innovation and change have always been part of normal.

They foresee a continuation of trends such as working from home, internet shopping, less use of public transport, holidaying domestically rather than internationally, washing hands more frequently and telehealth.

They predict there will be an exodus to the suburbs and the regions, and hope that this pause in the spinning of the world will make us more introspective and less materialistic.

Some respondents defined a return to normal as the complete absence of COVID, putting a lot of faith in an effective vaccine. Others had no faith in a vaccine and believed we will need to live with COVID.

On balance, irrespective of whether they thought things would return to normal, however defined, most respondents were optimistic seeing a “same but different” future.

These attitudes open-up some interesting possibilities for the next election. Generally voters are corralled more on the negatives of the other side’s policies rather than the positives of your own. Promises are discounted, threats magnified.

But having passed through the eye of the storm, voters seem uniquely awake to possibilities. The winner of this election might well be the one with the best post-COVID recovery plan.