In some places 40% of us may have downloaded COVIDSafe. Here's why the government should share what it knows
- Written by Robert Slonim, Professor of Economics, University of Sydney
It’s 18 days since the government launched its digital contact-tracing app COVIDSafe. The latest figure we have for downloads is 5.4 million[1], on May 8, about 29% of smartphone users aged 14 and over.
My own mini-survey suggests that in Sydney and Melbourne the takeup could already be 40% – a figure the government has mentioned as a target – while in other places it is much lower.
Oddly, it’s information the government isn’t sharing with us.
Total number of COVIDSafe app users (millions)
References
- ^ 5.4 million (endorsecovidsafe.files.wordpress.com)
- ^ Endorse COVIDSafe (endorsecovidsafe.com)
- ^ South Korea (www.sbs.com.au)
- ^ Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy predicts more than 50% take-up of COVID tracing app (theconversation.com)
- ^ Singaporeans (endorsecovidsafe.files.wordpress.com)
- ^ COVIDSafe tracking app reviewed: the government delivers on data security, but other issues remain (theconversation.com)
- ^ online survey (sydney.au1.qualtrics.com)
- ^ PureProfile (www.pureprofile.com)
- ^ Contact tracing apps: a behavioural economist's guide to improving uptake (theconversation.com)
Authors: Robert Slonim, Professor of Economics, University of Sydney