Victorians, having endured the most days locked down in the world, lost interest in coronavirus compared with Queensland and NSW counterparts
First published on Tue 7 Dec 2021 11.30 EST
The Covid-19 pandemic once again featured heavily in news-related internet searches in Australia this year, as lockdowns gripped the two largest states, and people sought vaccines.
Google has compiled data on the most popular search terms from the previous 12 months, which showed sport events again dominating, with Covid searches at the top of the news category. The NBA, AFL, cricket, NRL, football, Wimbledon and the Olympics took out the top spots for most searched topics in Australia in 2021.
Overall top Google searches in Australia in 2021
NBA
AFL
Australia vs India
NRL
Euro 2021
Wimbledon
Olympic medal tally
COVID NSW
Coinspot
Prince Philip
The Covid situation in New South Wales dominated news-related searches, with the Delta outbreak forcing the state into the longest continuous lockdown in 2021. Victorians, having endured the most number of days in lockdown since the pandemic started, did not appear to seek out information about the Covid situation in their own state nearly as much, with “coronavirus Victoria” coming in fifth in news-related searches, even behind Queensland at number three.
For the second year in a row, people Googled “how to make face masks” more than any other DIY-related search. As residents in NSW, Victoria and the ACT endured extended lockdowns, at-home activities like making your own candles, playdough, paper planes, and chatterboxes soared.
As Australia’s vaccination “strollout” gathered pace in the second half of 2021, people searched how to get their vaccination certificates, how to book their Covid vaccination, how to link their Medicare to myGov, and how to enter the Million Dollar Vax campaign.
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The shocking disappearance of West Australian four-year-old Cleo Smith and the dramatic rescue over two weeks later was the second biggest news event searched on Google by Australians. The ongoing search for missing toddler William Tyrrell came in sixth.
Top Google searches for news events in Australia in 2021
COVID NSW
Cleo Smith
QLD COVID update
Alec Baldwin
Coronavirus Victoria
William Tyrrell
Bert Newton
Christian Porter
Afghanistan
Melbourne earthquake
The former federal attorney general Christian Porter’s name dominated Google search trends in the days leading up to a press conference where he outed himself as the unnamed minister in an ABC report about an alleged historical rape. He vehemently denies the allegations. In his now-settled defamation suit against the ABC, lawyers for Porter raised that after the report searches of his name “increased significantly and much more so than any other senior male cabinet members”.
The former minister, who announced last week he would not recontest his WA seat of Pearce at the 2022 federal election, appears eighth in the 2021 list of news-related searches.
Porter was the fourth most-searched person overall in Australia, behind Cleo Smith, Ash Barty, and William Tyrell. The new NSW premier, Dominic Perrottet, came in sixth.
Bringing up the rear of news searches was the moment that shook Melbourne – literally – the 5.9 magnitude earthquake that hit Victoria in September.
Interest in all things cryptocurrency was also reflected in Australian searches with cryptocurrency exchange Coinspot the ninth most searched term, and people searched how to buy Dogecoin.
Top ‘How to…?’ Google searches in Australia in 2021
How to get vaccination certificate
How to tie a tie
How to deliver uber eats
How to buy dogecoin
How to watch olympics australia
How to book COVID vaccine
How to watch euro 2021 in australia
How to link medicare to mygov
How to book pfizer vaccine
Million dollar vax how to enter
Prince Philip was the most searched among those who died in 2021, followed by US woman Gabby Petito, and Australian entertainment giant Bert Newton.
Thanks to Jaden Smith and Britney Spears, people were searching for the meaning of the word “emancipated” more than any other word in 2021, followed by “insurrection” after the events at the US Capitol on 6 January, then it was “gaslighting”, Naidoc and NFT.
Despite emerging late in the year, Omicron came in sixth as people looked up the meaning of the latest Covid-19 variant of concern.
Top 2021 Google searches for meanings and definitions
Emancipated meaning
Insurrection meaning
Gaslighting meaning
NAIDOC meaning
NFT meaning
Omicron meaning
Frigid meaning
Narcissist meaning
ROC meaning
Sedition meaning
