climate change, global warming
Q. Over the last 2 years, have you become more concerned or less concerned about the environmental effects of global warming or do you feel about the same as you did 2 years ago?
|
Total |
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote other |
|
| Total more concerned |
52% |
61% |
34% |
89% |
52% |
|
| Total less concerned |
9% |
10% |
14% |
2% |
6% |
|
| Much more concerned |
22% |
27% |
11% |
65% |
18% |
|
| A little more concerned |
30% |
34% |
23% |
24% |
34% |
|
| About the same |
35% |
28% |
49% |
7% |
40% |
|
| A little less concerned |
6% |
8% |
8% |
2% |
1% |
|
| Much less concerned |
3% |
2% |
6% |
– |
5% |
|
| Don’t know |
4% |
2% |
3% |
2% |
3% |
52% say they have become more concerned about the environmental effects of global warming over the last two years and 9% have become less concerned – 35% feel about the same.
Those most likely to have become more concerned were Labor voters (61%), Greens voters (89%), aged 18-34 (59%) and people with university degrees (63%).
Q. Which of the following actions on climate change would you most support?
|
Total |
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote other |
|
| Incentives for renewable energy |
50% |
52% |
45% |
61% |
59% |
|
| An emissions trading scheme |
12% |
20% |
5% |
24% |
6% |
|
| The Government’s direct action policy |
10% |
10% |
12% |
7% |
14% |
|
| No action required |
11% |
4% |
21% |
– |
13% |
|
| Don’t know |
17% |
14% |
17% |
8% |
8% |
In taking action on climate change, 50% most support incentives for renewable energy, 12% most support an emissions trading scheme and 10% most support the Government‘s direct action policy – while 11% say no action is required.
All groups are most likely to support incentives for renewable energy. Those more likely to support an emissions trading scheme were Greens voters (24%) and Labor voters (20%).
climate change, endangered species, great barrier reef, native forests, protecting the environment
Q. How important are the following environmental issues to you?
|
Total import-ant |
Total not import-ant |
|
Very import-ant |
Moder-ately import-ant |
|
Import -ant Vote Labor |
Import -ant Vote Lib/ Nat |
Import -ant Vote Greens |
Import -ant Vote Other |
|
| Protecting the Great Barrier Reef |
91% |
7% |
58% |
33% |
94% |
89% |
94% |
90% |
||
| Protecting endangered species |
87% |
11% |
49% |
38% |
91% |
83% |
89% |
87% |
||
| Cutting air and water pollution |
87% |
11% |
46% |
41% |
91% |
83% |
89% |
85% |
||
| Protecting native forests |
86% |
11% |
45% |
41% |
91% |
83% |
91% |
87% |
||
| Deforestation (for timber and paper) |
80% |
17% |
35% |
45% |
83% |
76% |
77% |
76% |
||
| Strengthen environmental protection laws |
77% |
20% |
35% |
42% |
84% |
69% |
88% |
79% |
||
| Deforestation (for palm oil products) |
74% |
22% |
37% |
37% |
78% |
67% |
82% |
75% |
||
| Population growth |
73% |
25% |
33% |
40% |
72% |
77% |
67% |
74% |
||
| Addressing climate change |
71% |
27% |
37% |
34% |
84% |
57% |
85% |
67% |
The most important environmental issues were protecting the Great Barrier Reef (91%), protecting endangered species (87%), cutting air and water pollution (87%) and protecting native forests (86%). All issues were thought to be important by over 70% of respondents.
The ranking of issues was similar across party voting groups except for –
Population growth, which was rated more important by Liberal/National voters (77%).
climate change, Climate Change action
Q. Now that the carbon tax has been repealed, which of the following actions on climate change would you most support?
|
Total |
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote other |
|
| Incentives for renewable energy |
43% |
43% |
38% |
54% |
52% |
|
| An emissions trading scheme |
19% |
30% |
13% |
31% |
8% |
|
| The Government’s direct action policy |
5% |
4% |
7% |
1% |
6% |
|
| No action required |
14% |
7% |
25% |
1% |
13% |
|
| Don’t know |
19% |
18% |
18% |
13% |
21% |
The most favoured action on climate change was incentives for renewable energy (43%). Only 5% preferred the Government’s direct action policy while 19% favoured an emissions trading scheme.
The emissions trading scheme received higher support from Greens voters (31%) and Labor voters (30%).
25% of Liberal/National voters and 19% of those aged 45+ think no action is required.
climate change, Climate Change action
Q. Which of the following actions on climate change do you most support?
|
Total |
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote other |
|
Oct 13 |
Apr 14 |
|
| Keeping the carbon tax |
16% |
31% |
2% |
40% |
4% |
15% |
17% |
||
| Replacing the carbon tax with an emissions trading scheme |
22% |
29% |
16% |
28% |
23% |
21% |
22% |
||
| Replacing the carbon tax with the Liberal’s “direct action” plan |
9% |
1% |
20% |
7% |
10% |
15% |
12% |
||
| Dumping the carbon tax and not replacing it at all |
33% |
21% |
45% |
10% |
49% |
31% |
30% |
||
| Don’t know |
19% |
18% |
17% |
15% |
14% |
18% |
19% |
33% think the carbon tax should be dumped and not replaced, 22% support replacing it with an emissions trading scheme, 9% prefer the Liberal’s “direct action” plan and 16% think the Government should keep the carbon tax. Since this question was asked in April, support for dumping the carbon tax and not replacing it has increased from 30% to 33% and support for the “direct action” plan dropped 3 points to 9%.
Those most likely to support keeping the tax or changing to an emissions trading scheme were Labor voters (60%) and Greens voters (68%) and those with a university education (47%).
Those most likely to think the carbon tax should be dumped and not replaced were Liberal/National voters (45%) and other party voters (49%). Only 20% of Liberal/National voters preferred the Liberal’s “direct action” plan.
Q. The G20 was established to discuss world economic issues. Some have proposed that climate change should be included in G20 discussions because it is an economic issue as well as an environmental issue. Do you think climate change should be discussed at the G20 meeting?
|
Total |
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote other |
|
| Should be discussed |
67% |
80% |
54% |
93% |
58% |
|
| Does not need to be discussed |
19% |
10% |
31% |
4% |
31% |
|
| Don’t know |
13% |
10% |
15% |
4% |
11% |
67% think that climate change should be discussed at the G20 meeting and 19% think it does not need to be discussed.
Liberal/National voters were more likely to be opposed (31%), although more than half (54%) thought it should be discussed.
climate change, economy, Education, Election, Election Issues, environment, Federal Election, Greens, Health, Industrial Relations, Labor, Liberal/National, Liberals
Q. Which are the three most important issues in deciding how you would vote at a Federal election?
|
Total 22 Apr 14 |
|
Vote ALP |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Grn |
Vote other |
|
23 Jul 13 |
30 Jul 12 |
6 June 11 |
25 Jan 10 |
|
| Management of the economy |
54% |
43% |
75% |
22% |
44% |
45% |
64% |
61% |
63% |
||
| Ensuring a quality education for all children |
27% |
35% |
18% |
38% |
20% |
25% |
26% |
26% |
23% |
||
| Ensuring the quality of Australia’s health system |
50% |
54% |
43% |
62% |
52% |
42% |
47% |
49% |
48% |
||
| Protecting the environment |
13% |
12% |
7% |
42% |
14% |
12% |
11% |
15% |
16% |
||
| A fair industrial relations system |
12% |
17% |
11% |
8% |
12% |
10% |
12% |
8% |
na |
||
| Political leadership |
15% |
11% |
24% |
6% |
13% |
21% |
25% |
17% |
23% |
||
| Addressing climate change |
10% |
13% |
4% |
28% |
9% |
11% |
9% |
15% |
16% |
||
| Controlling interest rates |
9% |
9% |
11% |
2% |
7% |
13% |
9% |
13% |
15% |
||
| Australian jobs and protection of local industries |
37% |
39% |
37% |
18% |
37% |
39% |
41% |
32% |
33% |
||
| Ensuring a quality water supply |
4% |
5% |
3% |
3% |
5% |
3% |
3% |
5% |
12% |
||
| Housing affordability |
17% |
18% |
16% |
13% |
19% |
17% |
13% |
16% |
14% |
||
| Ensuring a fair taxation system |
20% |
19% |
20% |
9% |
23% |
20% |
18% |
17% |
14% |
||
| Security and the war on terrorism |
5% |
3% |
8% |
3% |
5% |
8% |
5% |
8% |
9% |
||
| Treatment of asylum seekers |
8% |
5% |
5% |
32% |
9% |
14% |
10% |
5% |
na |
||
| Managing population growth |
9% |
6% |
10% |
8% |
16% |
9% |
8% |
12% |
na |
54% of people surveyed rated management of the economy as one of their three most important issues, followed by 50% ensuring the quality of Australia’s health system, 37% Australian jobs and protection of local industries and 27% ensuring a quality education for all children.
Main changes since this question was asked last July – management of the economy up 9%, ensuring the quality of Australia’s health system up 8%, political leadership down 6% and treatment of asylum seekers down 6%.
climate change, climate change caused by human activity, fluctuation in earth's climate
Q. Do you believe that there is fairly conclusive evidence that climate change is happening and caused by human activity or do you believe that the evidence is still not in and we may just be witnessing a normal fluctuation in the earth’s climate which happens from time to time?
|
Total |
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote other |
|
Nov 09 |
Dec 10 |
Jun 11 |
Oct 12 |
Oct 13 |
Jan 14 |
|
| Climate change is happening and is caused by human activity |
56% |
70% |
39% |
87% |
46% |
53% |
45% |
50% |
48% |
52% |
51% |
||
| We are just witnessing a normal fluctuation in the earth’s climate |
34% |
23% |
51% |
5% |
39% |
34% |
36% |
39% |
39% |
36% |
39% |
||
| Don’t know |
10% |
7% |
10% |
8% |
15% |
13% |
19% |
12% |
13% |
12% |
11% |
56% (up 5% since January) agree that climate change is happening and is caused by human activity and 34% (down 5%) believe that we may just be witnessing a normal fluctuation in the earth’s climate. This is the largest gap recorded between these figures since this question was first asked in 2009.
By age groups, those aged under 35 split 65%/22% and those aged 55+ split 42%/52%. People with higher education were more likely to think climate change is happening and is caused by human activity – those with university degrees split 66%/24%.