Household Impacts of COVID-19 Survey

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Insights into the prevalence and nature of impacts from COVID-19 on households in Australia.

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Reference period
August 2022
Released
27/09/2022
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Key statistics

  • Around one in three Australians (36%) reported a household member had experienced cold, flu or COVID-19 symptoms in the past 4 weeks (down from 42% in July 2022).
  • Fewer Australians reported a household member had a COVID-19 test in the past four weeks (43% compared to 48% in July 2022).
  • Of those testing for COVID-19, fewer reported a positive result in August 2022 (22% down from 27% in July 2022).

This is the second Household Impacts of COVID-19 survey in the current series.

The survey has previously been conducted through the pandemic period. The results for all past surveys can be accessed by selecting ‘View all releases.’

This series provides information on COVID-19 and cold/flu symptoms, COVID-19 testing, and the impacts of COVID-19 and cold/flu on employment, school, or childcare attendance.

The latest survey was collected as a topic on the Multipurpose Household Survey (MPHS) via telephone interviews with over 2,100 fully responding participants between the 8th and 28th August.

Where results are compared over time, comparisons are made based on the weighted representative data for each survey.

Proportions marked with an asterisk (*) have a Margin of Error (MoE) greater than 10 percentage points which should be considered when using this information.

For more information about the survey design including weighting and MoEs refer to the Methodology.

COVID-19 context

In August, the Australian Government launched a communication campaign to encourage people to follow public health advice to help slow the spread of COVID-19.  

Since April 2022, isolation rules for close contacts have been relaxed and those without symptoms are now less likely to require isolation.  

Masks are recommended but not mandatory in most settings, and from early July 2022, travellers to Australia were no longer required to declare their COVID-19 vaccination status.

Symptoms and testing

The survey asked about household experiences with COVID-19 symptoms, tests, and positive cases in the past four weeks. From July 2022, the questions were expanded to cover both COVID-19 and cold or flu symptoms.

In August 2022, fewer households reported having symptoms and testing for COVID-19 than in July 2022.

  • 36% of Australians reported someone in their household had symptoms of a cold, flu, or COVID-19, down from 42% in July 2022.
  • 43% of households reported testing for COVID-19, down from 48% in July 2022.

Of those who reported someone in their household testing for COVID-19:

  • 92% used a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT), consistent with July 2022 (94%)
  • 22% used a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test, consistent with July 2022 (19%)
  • 22% reported a household member tested positive in August 2022, down from 27% in July 2022.
  1. Prior to July, respondents were only asked about COVID-19 symptoms, but the symptoms are consistent. Symptoms of cold, flu or COVID-19 include; cough, fever, difficulty breathing, sore throat, tiredness, joint aches, headache, runny or stuffy nose, any changes in taste or smell, nausea and/or vomiting, chills.
  2. Includes Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) or Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests.
  3. Of households where a member had a COVID-19 test, proportion where one or more tested positive.
  4. The proportion of positive COVID-19 cases relates only to the households reporting someone had taken a COVID-19 test in the four weeks prior to the survey. The data is not directly comparable with official measures of positive COVID-19 cases reported from health surveillance systems.  

School or childcare attendance

Impacts of COVID-19 on school or childcare attendance

In August 2022, 15% of Australian households with children aged under 18 years reported their children’s school or childcare attendance was impacted by COVID-19, consistent with July 2022 (15%). 

Australians with children in the household whose childcare or school attendance was impacted by COVID-19 in the last four weeks, reported:

  • a child being unable to attend due to testing positive to COVID-19 (63%), up from 53% reported in July 2022
  • a child being unable to attend due to being a COVID-19 close contact (*24% similar to 21% in July 2022).
  1. Includes school, preschool, childcare or out of school hours care.

Impacts of colds and flu on school or childcare attendance

From July, the survey asked households with children aged under 18 whether a child experienced any impacts on school or childcare attendance due to a cold or flu in the past four weeks.

In August, one in five (22%) households with children reported that school or childcare attendance was impacted by a cold or flu (similar to 21% in July 2022).

Working arrangements

Potential impact of COVID-19 on working arrangements

The survey asked employed Australians how their main job would be impacted if they contracted COVID-19. The most common responses in August 2022 included:

  • not being allowed to work until well enough (67%), similar to 65% in July 2022
  • being required to work from home if well enough (15%), down from 19% in July 2022
  • working from home if well enough (23%), consistent with July 2022 (25%).

When asked about the impacts for their main job if they were a close contact of someone with COVID-19:  

  • 38% would not be allowed to work for the required isolation period, similar to July 2022 (40%)
  • a similar number could return to the workplace, 23% in August 2022 and 24% in July 2022
  • 20% could choose to work from home (consistent with July 2022 20%)
  • fewer reported that they would be required to work from home (12%) than in July 2022 (17%).

Job situation changes due to COVID-19

In August 2022, one in five (21%) Australians reported that the job situation of someone in their household had changed due to COVID-19 in the last four weeks (similar to 23% in July 2022). The most common job situation changes included:

  • being unable to work for a period of time due to COVID-19 (9%), consistent with July 2022 (9%)
  • changing to working from home (7%), down from 11% in July 2022.
  1. Respondents may report more than one job situation change. Components are not able to be added together to produce a total.

Of Australians with a household member who experienced a change in their job situation due to COVID-19 in August 2022, the reasons included:

  • testing positive to COVID-19 (38%, not statistically different to 34% in July 2022)
  • workplace had an increased demand for staff (21%, similar to 19% in July 2022)
  • work colleagues being absent (21%, similar to 19% July 2022)
  • workplace asked staff to work from home where possible (16% down from 28% in July 2022)
  • close contact of someone with COVID-19 (13%, similar to 14% in July 2022).

Job situation changes due to cold or flu

From July 2022, this survey asked households with symptoms in the past four weeks whether they experienced any job-related changes due to someone having a cold or the flu.

Of households that had someone with symptoms, 37% reported that the job situation of someone in their household had changed due to having a cold or flu, consistent with July (37%).

The most common job situation changes reported in August 2022 included:

  • being unable to work for a period of time (26%, similar to 27% in July 2022)
  • changing to working from home (8%, similar to 12% in July 2022)
  • working reduced hours (8%, compared to 10% in July).

What's next?

The survey will be undertaken with the same topics in September 2022. Results from the September 2022 survey will be released in October 2022.

The results for past publications can be accessed by selecting ‘View all releases’ in the header of this publication.

The ABS would like to thank all participants for their involvement in the survey. The information collected is of value to inform government and community responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Data downloads

Tables 1 - 6

Data files
Download xlsx [133.84 KB]

Previous catalogue number

This release previously used catalogue number 4940.0.

Methodology

Household Impacts of COVID-19 Survey methodology, August 2022

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