Melburnians are twice as likely to say their lives were “much worse” during COVID-19 than those elsewhere in the country, a new study reveals.

In the latest Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia poll, 33.1% of Melburnians said they feel “much worse off” after the first wave of the pandemic.

That’s in comparison to a national average of 16.9 per cent.

But Deputy Director of the Melbourne Institute and of the HILDA Survey program, Roger Wilkins, says there was an unexpected benefit to come from the pandemic.

Nineteen per cent of people said the pandemic improved their relationship, compared to 6.6 per cent who said it worsened.

“People had more time for each other,” Mr Wilkins said.

Press PLAY below to hear more about how the pandemic changed live for the better and the worse