Bushfire crisis: more than half of all Australians found to have been directly affected

By Sarah Martin

More than half of all Australians have been directly affected by the summer’s bushfire crisis, including millions suffering health effects, according to a new survey from the Australia Institute.

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About a quarter of those surveyed (26%) reported illness or health effects as a result of smoke haze, while a third (33%) reported a change to routine – such as not jogging outside – as a result of the conditions.

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With 9% of respondents saying they had missed work because of the fires or smoke, the Australia Institute is estimating that at least 1.8 million work days were lost as a result, based on the assumption of one day off for each worker affected.

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People who had been impacted by the fires were much more likely to be “very concerned” about climate change (58%) than those not impacted (32%). Those directly affected were also more likely (68%) to say Australia is experiencing “a lot” of climate change impacts, compared with those not affected (42%).

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