# Cash strapped Australians yearn for the ‘happy’ days of COVID lockdowns > Source: > Published: 2026-06-09 21:00:28+00:00 ## Cash strapped Australians yearn for the ‘happy’ days of COVID lockdowns 10 June 2026 Tangentially related [to the previous post](https://disassociated.com/facebook-spent-billions-metaverse-new-name/). Data recently published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) suggests some Australians [felt better off during the COVID pandemic](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-09/happiness-index-shows-we-were-more-satisfied-in-covid-pandemic/106764966), despite lockdowns and other restrictions on their movements, than they do today. In 2026 people are dealing with cost-of-living pressures, reduced real income, and the potential threat to their jobs from AI, among other things. In contrast, during the pandemic, many Australians were the recipients of government UBI-like payments. Some were possibly also content with the prospect of not having to work, even if they couldn’t go too far from their homes. Whoever could have thought some people might one day look on that difficult period with fondness? RELATED CONTENT [Australia](https://disassociated.com/tag/australia/), [economics](https://disassociated.com/tag/economics/), [health](https://disassociated.com/tag/health/), [pandemic](https://disassociated.com/tag/pandemic/), [trends](https://disassociated.com/tag/trends/)