Fears of a second wave of COVID and another blockade in...

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The poll shows that more than 60 percent of voters are concerned about a prolonged recession for the next year and nearly half (49 percent) are concerned about not being able to travel interstate or overseas.

Mental health is also highlighted. 45 percent believe their mental health has been “severely” or “reasonably” affected by the pandemic and the lockdown.

These effects are significantly higher in people living in metropolitan areas (48 percent) and younger people (65 percent in 18- to 24-year-olds and 61 percent in 25 to 39-year-olds).

Younger people are more concerned about their employment prospects than older groups.

Voters over 55 are far more concerned about contracting the virus than others, and foreign-born people are also more concerned about COVID-19 (44 percent) than Australian-born people (36 percent).

Jessica Elgood, director of Ipsos, said the Victorian experience of putting the state back into lockdown after daily cases peaked at 725 in August weighed on voters in NSW.

“The good news is that while people are worried about a recession, economically they are not as concerned about paying their bills as you might think,” she said.

However, she said experiences varied widely across age groups, with young people between the ages of 18 and 24 being the most concerned about being or staying unemployed.

The poll also shows that 74 percent of voters are happy with the NSW government’s handling of the pandemic, while 17 percent are dissatisfied and men are more likely to be critical.

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Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s feat through the bushfires and pandemic has given her a 63 percent approval rating, with just 16 percent of voters disapproving.

In Victoria an Ipsos poll for The age and nine messages Prime Minister Daniel Andrews with an approval rating of 52 percent, 33 percent disapproved.

Of those polled in NSW, 58 percent said they would prefer Ms. Berejiklian as Prime Minister, while 19 percent said they would prefer NSW union leader Jodi McKay. Nationals leader John Barilaro has an approval rating of 18 percent.

The results are based on a representative survey of 863 respondents (over 18 years of age) that was carried out online. The fieldwork was conducted between October 21-23 and the date was weighted with the demographic profile of the state.