More than three quarters of Australian adults report that they were affected by the nation's recent unprecedented bushfires, according to a new poll from The Australian National University (ANU).
The latest ANUpoll also found the Government's response to the bushfires had burnt away at Prime Minister Scott Morrison's approval rating and popularity with voters.
Lead researcher Professor Nicolas Biddle said the poll asked a nationally representative sample of more than 3,000 Australians about their experiences of and exposure to the recent extensive bushfires across the nation. The poll is the largest and most representative study on public perceptions about the bushfires to date.
"Nearly every Australian has been touched by these fires and many of us will be living with the effects for years and years to come," he said.
Professor Biddle said he suspected the impact would be widespread, but even he was "surprised at just how far-reaching they are".
"We found that about three million people - more than 14 per cent of adult Australians - reported that they were directly exposed to this year's bushfires.
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