Only 53% of Victorians have COVIDSafe app

Only 57% of Melburnians and 53% of Victorians outside Melbourne have the COVIDSafe ‘tracking app’ on their phone, more than five months after the app was launched by the federal government, according to the sixth Roy Morgan Snap SMS survey on Victoria’s Stage 4 restrictions.

Those with the COVIDSafe app are more likely to say they would feel safe visiting a shopping centre if everyone was required to have the app (55% versus 20% of those without the app).

Michele Levine, CEO of Roy Morgan, said the real value of the COVIDSafe depends on everyone installing it on their phones. “This poll suggests that there is a way to go before those without the app see value in it — for them,” Levine said.

Regarding the 5 km travel limit, only 42% of Victorians say Melburnians should be able to travel more than 5 km from their home to visit a shopping centre, if they have downloaded the COVIDSafe app. Victorians also want shopping centres to have the right to refuse entry to people not wearing masks and those who will not take a temperature check.

Additionally, 22% of Victorians believe a person should be refused entry into a shopping centre if they refuse to have the ‘tracking app’ on their phone. In contrast, 90% of Victorians believe people not wearing a mask should be refused entry to shopping centres, while 87% say people who refuse a temperature check should be refused entry.

“Victorians are in almost unanimous support of refusing entry to shopping centres to people who aren’t wearing a mask or refuse to take a temperature check upon entry. However, only 22% of Victorians believe someone should be refused entry to a shopping centre if they don’t have the COVIDSafe app on their phone,” Levine said.

The Roy Morgan survey was conducted with a Victoria-wide cross-section of 2391 Victorians aged 18 and over, from Monday, 5 October to Tuesday, 6 October 2020.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/MohamadFaizal