Australians are increasingly concerned about coronavirus but most still don't think they will catch the disease.
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People overwhelmingly support the government's actions to curb the pandemic and nearly everyone has changed their behaviour to help stop the spread of the virus, new polling shows.
An Essential survey released on Tuesday showed a sharp rise in the number of people very concerned about the disease, climbing from 39 per cent to 53 per cent over the past week.
More than two in five people thought the threat of the virus has been underestimated.
However, one in eight people said they were not that worried about the virus, or not concerned about it at all.
Despite the increase in people worried about the crisis, the amount of people who think they won't catch the virus was largely unchanged.
Nearly three in five believed they were unlikely or very unlikely to contract coronavirus.
Australians aged over 55 were most likely to think they wouldn't become ill despite health advice they were more vulnerable than younger people.
Of those surveyed, 95 per cent claimed they had changed their behaviours in response to repeated pleas from health officials and leaders to help slow the spread.
The most common actions were increased handwashing, cutting down on going to crowded spaces such as shops or restaurants, and canning physical greetings including handshakes and hugs.
One third indicated they were working from home, up from one in five the previous week.
Nearly 20 per cent of people said they had lost their jobs since the crisis started and another 25 per cent were worried about their positions.
Australian Associated Press