Q. How would you rate the ABC program Q&A?
|
Total |
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote other |
Total gave opinion |
|||
|
Total good |
46% |
53% |
37% |
70% |
52% |
80% |
||
|
Total poor |
11% |
3% |
23% |
1% |
15% |
20% |
||
|
Very good |
18% |
23% |
11% |
33% |
20% |
31% |
||
|
Good |
28% |
30% |
26% |
37% |
32% |
49% |
||
|
Poor |
4% |
2% |
7% |
1% |
7% |
8% |
||
|
Very poor |
7% |
1% |
16% |
– |
8% |
12% |
||
|
Don’t watch it |
40% |
40% |
36% |
28% |
32% |
– |
||
|
Don’t know |
4% |
3% |
4% |
1% |
1% |
– |
46% rate Q&A as good and 11% think it is poor. 40% said they don’t watch it. Of those who gave an opinion, 80% think it is good and 20% poor.
Q. The Government’s national broadband network plan is to more quickly roll out fibre to local nodes and let Telstra’s copper network carry internet traffic to households, compared to Labor’s plan to roll out fibre to every household outside rural areas, which would cost more and have taken longer but produced higher speeds. Which plan do you believe is best for Australia?
|
Total |
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote other |
||
|
The Liberal Government’s plan |
29% |
7% |
63% |
6% |
26% |
|
|
The Labor plan |
38% |
62% |
12% |
66% |
43% |
|
|
Don’t know |
33% |
31% |
25% |
28% |
31% |
38% think the Labor NBN plan is best for Australia and 29% think the Government’s plan is best. 33% did not give an opinion. These views were consistent across age groups.
Q. Do you think the following parties are too right wing/conservative, too left wing/progressive or about right?
|
Too right wing/ conservative |
Too left wing/ progressive |
About right |
Don’t know |
|
|
The Labor Party |
16% |
20% |
28% |
36% |
|
The Liberal Party |
34% |
7% |
26% |
33% |
|
The Nationals |
29% |
7% |
21% |
43% |
|
The Greens |
9% |
30% |
20% |
41% |
|
Palmer United Party |
17% |
12% |
10% |
61% |
|
The Labor Party (Labor voters) |
10% |
8% |
53% |
29% |
|
The Liberal Party (Coalition voters |
13% |
6% |
58% |
23% |
|
The Nationals (Coalition voters) |
18% |
7% |
41% |
34% |
|
The Greens (Greens voters) |
2% |
17% |
67% |
14% |
About one-third of respondents think that the Liberal and National parties are too right wing and that the Greens are too left wing. However they are divided on the Labor Party – 16% think they are too right wing and 20% too left wing.
Among voter groups, more than half think their party is about right. Coalition voters are a little more likely to think the Liberals and Nationals are too right wing and 17% of Greens voters think the Greens are too left wing.
Q. Do you think over the last few years, these parties have become more right wing/conservative, more left wing/progressive or stayed about the same?
|
More right wing/ conservative |
More left wing/ progressive |
About the same |
Don’t know |
|
|
The Labor Party |
19% |
16% |
31% |
34% |
|
The Liberal Party |
27% |
8% |
33% |
32% |
|
The Nationals |
20% |
6% |
35% |
39% |
|
The Greens |
6% |
20% |
35% |
38% |
|
Palmer United Party |
9% |
9% |
24% |
57% |
|
The Labor Party (Labor voters) |
19% |
9% |
43% |
29% |
|
The Liberal Party (Coalition voters |
15% |
9% |
54% |
22% |
|
The Nationals (Coalition voters) |
13% |
6% |
51% |
30% |
|
The Greens (Greens voters) |
5% |
18% |
55% |
22% |
Respondents were a little more likely to think the Liberal and National parties have become more right wing and the Greens have become more lefvt wing over the last few years.
Among their own voters, Labor, Liberal and National parties were all seen as a little more right wing.
Q. Do you think Australia’s economy is heading in the right or wrong direction?
|
Total |
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote other |
May 2010 |
May 2011 |
Jun 2012 |
Apr 2013 |
Apr 2014 |
Aug 2014 |
May 2015 |
|||
|
The right direction |
35% |
22% |
62% |
21% |
26% |
51% |
45% |
43% |
36% |
39% |
35% |
35% |
||
|
The wrong direction |
41% |
52% |
21% |
61% |
52% |
25% |
29% |
32% |
39% |
34% |
41% |
40% |
||
|
Don’t know |
24% |
26% |
16% |
189% |
21% |
24% |
25% |
25% |
25% |
26% |
24% |
25% |
35% of respondents think that Australia’s economy is heading in the right direction and 41% think it is heading in the wrong direction. This represents no significant change since this question was asked in May.
22% (up 3%) of Labor voters, 62% (down 5%) of Liberal/National voters and 21% (up 12%) of Greens voters think the economy is heading in the right direction. 52% (down 6%) of Labor voters, 61% (down 4%) of Greens voters and 47% of those earning less than $600pw think the economy is heading in the wrong direction.
Q. How concerned are you personally about the following economic issues?
|
Very concerned |
Somewhat concerned |
Not so concerned |
Not at all concerned |
Don’t know |
Very concerned Feb 2015 |
Change |
||
|
Cost of electricity and gas |
52% |
33% |
10% |
3% |
3% |
47% |
+5 |
|
|
Housing affordability |
46% |
33% |
14% |
4% |
4% |
39% |
+7 |
|
|
Cost of food and groceries |
42% |
39% |
13% |
3% |
3% |
35% |
+7 |
|
|
Cost of petrol |
42% |
36% |
14% |
4% |
3% |
24% |
+18 |
|
|
Job security |
35% |
39% |
15% |
6% |
5% |
29% |
+6 |
|
|
Wealth disparity |
35% |
33% |
19% |
7% |
6% |
30% |
+5 |
|
|
Unemployment |
34% |
42% |
15% |
6% |
3% |
30% |
+4 |
|
|
Value of the Australian dollar |
32% |
39% |
21% |
4% |
4% |
24% |
+8 |
|
|
Tax levels |
32% |
37% |
21% |
6% |
5% |
24% |
+8 |
|
|
Interest rates |
28% |
34% |
24% |
10% |
5% |
19% |
+9 |
|
|
The current budget deficit |
25% |
39% |
24% |
7% |
6% |
27% |
-2 |
|
|
National debt |
24% |
37% |
27% |
7% |
5% |
27% |
-3 |
Economic issues of most concern were cost of electricity/gas (52% very concerned), housing affordability (46%), cost of food and groceries (42%) and the cost of petrol (42%). Since February there have been increases in concern about almost all issues – especially cost of petrol (up 18%, although concern was unusually low in February), interest rates (up 9%), tax levels (up 8%), value of the dollar (up 8%), housing affordability (up 7%) and cost of food and groceries (up 7%).
Q. Which political party do you think best represents the interests of –
|
Labor |
Liberal |
Greens |
Don’t know |
Net (Labor- Liberal |
Net Nov 2011 |
||
|
Big business |
9% |
61% |
3% |
27% |
-52 |
-57 |
|
|
Working people on high incomes |
11% |
59% |
3% |
26% |
-48 |
-54 |
|
|
Small businesses and self-employed |
25% |
40% |
4% |
31% |
-15 |
-29 |
|
|
Rural and regional Australians |
19% |
27% |
13% |
41% |
-8 |
-13 |
|
|
The next generation of Australians |
22% |
27% |
12% |
39% |
-5 |
-11 |
|
|
Indigenous people |
22% |
21% |
16% |
41% |
+1 |
+11 |
|
|
Ethnic communities |
21% |
19% |
17% |
43% |
+2 |
+8 |
|
|
Families with young children |
37% |
24% |
6% |
33% |
+13 |
+11 |
|
|
Pensioners |
37% |
22% |
8% |
33% |
+15 |
+12 |
|
|
Students |
36% |
20% |
11% |
33% |
+16 |
+10 |
|
|
Working people on average incomes |
42% |
26% |
5% |
27% |
+16 |
+11 |
|
|
Working people on low incomes |
44% |
21% |
6% |
28% |
+23 |
+25 |
|
|
People on welfare |
41% |
18% |
10% |
31% |
+23 |
+26 |
The Labor Party is considered the party which best represents the interests of families with young children, students, working people on low and average incomes, people on welfare and pensioners. The Liberal Party is considered substantially better at representing the interests of people on high incomes, big business and small business and self-employed.
Since this question was asked in November 2011, the Labor Party has improved its position on representing the interests of small business and self- employed (up 14), students (up 6), the next generation (up 6) and people on high incomes (up 6). The Liberal Party has improved its position on representing the interests of indigenous people (up 10) and ethnic communities (up 6).
federal politics voting intention
Q. If a Federal Election was held today to which party will you probably give your first preference vote? If not sure, which party are you currently leaning toward?
Q. If don’t know -Well which party are you currently leaning to?
Sample size = 1,781 respondents
|
First preference/leaning to |
Election 7 Sep 13 |
4 weeks ago 28/7/15 |
2 weeks ago 11/8/15 |
Last week 18/8/15 |
This week 25/8/15 |
|
|
Liberal |
36% |
38% |
38% |
38% |
||
|
National |
4% |
3% |
3% |
3% |
||
|
Total Liberal/National |
45.6% |
40% |
40% |
41% |
41% |
|
|
Labor |
33.4% |
38% |
39% |
38% |
37% |
|
|
Greens |
8.6% |
11% |
11% |
10% |
10% |
|
|
Palmer United Party |
5.5% |
1% |
1% |
2% |
1% |
|
|
Other/Independent |
6.9% |
9% |
8% |
9% |
10% |
|
2 Party Preferred |
Election 7 Sep 13 |
4 weeks ago 28/7/15 |
2 weeks ago 11/8/15 |
Last week 18/8/15 |
This week 25/8/15 |
|
|
Liberal National |
53.5% |
47% |
47% |
48% |
49% |
|
|
Labor |
46.5% |
53% |
53% |
52% |
51% |
NB. The data in the above tables comprise 2-week averages derived from the first preference/leaning to voting questions. Respondents who select ‘don’t know’ are not included in the results. The two-party preferred estimate is calculated by distributing the votes of the other parties according to their preferences at the 2013 election.