This report is the second in a series undertaken by VicHealth. It outlines the results of the VicHealth Coronavirus Victorian Wellbeing Impact Study - Survey Two, a follow-up survey of 2,000 Victorians conducted in September 2020 during the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic in Victoria. Survey One was carried out during the first pandemic wave and conducted from late May to early June 2020.

This online representative survey was designed to examine the health and wellbeing impacts of the pandemic during the second wave that occurred from July to October 2020. Results are compared to findings from VicHealth’s first survey that examined the health and wellbeing impacts of the first pandemic wave from March to June 2020. Importantly, the study has also examined reasons why health and wellbeing factors may have changed, as well as variation by sociodemographics and recent experiences, such as job loss and the 2020 summer bushfires across Victoria. It is anticipated that this level of information will be valuable in the development of policies and programs aimed at influencing the underlying drivers of health and illness that are most important to our communities.

Key findings:

Overall, the significant changes in health and wellbeing factors at the state level between Survey One and Two can be summarised as follows:

1. Improvement in the risk of short-term harm from alcohol; reliance on low-cost unhealthy food due to shortage of money; and financial hardship.
2. A decline in life satisfaction; subjective wellbeing; and social connection.