New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows three in four parents (76 per cent) kept their children home from school or childcare due to COVID-19.

The fourth Household Impacts of COVID-19 Survey found that many of these parents made changes to their work arrangements to care for their children, including:

• 38 per cent* working from home 
• 22 per cent reducing or changing working hours 
• 13 per cent taking leave from work

Women (46 per cent*) were almost three times as likely to have stayed at home to look after their children on their own compared to men (17 per cent*).

Parents also reported difficulties experienced by their children while learning from home including:

• 58 per cent* reported difficulties concentrating 
• 49 per cent* feeling lonely 
• 33 per cent* experiencing feelings of anxiety
• 15 per cent lack of access to a stable internet connection

Proportions marked with an asterisk (*) have a margin of error >10 percentage points which should be considered when using this information.