carbon pricing scheme, Carbon Tax, climate change, Essential Report, Polling, polls
Q. How much have you read and heard about Government’s carbon pricing scheme?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| A lot | 35% | 37% | 41% | 28% |
| Something | 30% | 27% | 33% | 30% |
| A little | 30% | 30% | 24% | 38% |
| Nothing | 4% | 4% | 2$% | 4% |
| Don’t know | 1% | 2% | 1% | – |
35% say they have heard a lot about the carbon pricing scheme and 30% say they have heard something. Only 4% say they have heard nothing. 52% of respondents aged 55+ say they have heard a lot compared to 25% of those aged under 35.
carbon pricing scheme, Carbon Tax, climate change, Essential Report, family, Polling, polls
Q. How well informed do you feel about how the carbon pricing scheme will affect you and your family?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| Very well informed | 17% | 23% | 19% | 12% |
| Somewhat informed | 40% | 40% | 43% | 40% |
| A little informed | 26% | 24% | 24% | 28% |
| Not at all informed | 13% | 11% | 12% | 18% |
| Don’t know | 3% | 2% | 2% | 2% |
17% consider themselves very well informed about how the carbon pricing scheme will affect them and 40% say they are somewhat informed.
28% of those aged 55+ consider themselves very well informed and 44% somewhat informed. 51% of those aged 18-35 consider themselves very well or somewhat informed.
carbon pricing scheme, Carbon Tax, climate change, Essential Report, financial situation, Polling, polls
Q. Do you think you will be financially better or worse off as a result of the carbon pricing scheme?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| Total better off | 10% | 22% | 4% | 19% |
| Total worse off | 69% | 48% | 85% | 51% |
| Much better off | 2% | 3% | * | 9% |
| A little better off | 8% | 19% | 4% | 10% |
| A little worse off | 34% | 40% | 30% | 37% |
| Much worse off | 35% | 8% | 55% | 14% |
| It will make no difference | 11% | 18% | 6% | 21% |
| Don’t know | 10% | 12% | 5% | 9% |
10% think they will be better off and 69% worse off as a result of the carbon pricing scheme.
By income levels, 77% of those earning $1,600+ per week think they will be worse off compared to 56% of those earning less than $600 pw.
By age group, 43% of those aged 55+ think they will be much worse off compared to 26% of those aged under 35.
For those who consider themselves very well or somewhat informed about the carbon pricing scheme, 16% think they will be better off and 68% worse off.
carbon pricing scheme, Carbon Tax, climate change, Essential Report, federal politics, future
Q. Overall, do you think the Government’s carbon pricing scheme will be good or bad for Australia’s future?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| Total good | 34% | 67% | 11% | 76% |
| Total bad | 46% | 13% | 73% | 16% |
| Very good | 11% | 26% | 1% | 31% |
| Good | 23% | 41% | 10% | 45% |
| Bad | 20% | 9% | 29% | 9% |
| Very bad | 26% | 4% | 44% | 7% |
| It will make no difference | 8% | 8% | 10% | – |
| Don’t know | 12% | 13% | 7% | 7% |
34% think the carbon pricing scheme will be good for Australia and 46% think it will be bad.
By age, those aged under 35 split 42% good/36% bad, and those aged 55+ split 31% good/52% bad.
For those who consider themselves very well or somewhat informed about the carbon pricing scheme, 42% think it will be good for Australia and 48% bad.
carbon pricing scheme, Carbon Tax, climate change, cost of living, Essential Report, Labor, Liberal, Polling, polls
Q. Do you agree or disagree with the following statements about the Government’s carbon pricing scheme?
| Total agree | Total disagree | Strongly agree | Agree | Disagree | Strongly disagree | Don’t know | |
| The Government has got the balance right in compensating households for a carbon price | 31% | 48% | 6% | 25% | 23% | 25% | 22% |
| A carbon price will lead to a big rise in the cost of living | 68% | 22% | 32% | 36% | 18% | 4% | 11% |
| The carbon price scheme won’t reduce our carbon emissions | 51% | 34% | 25% | 26% | 24% | 10% | 15% |
| There’s too much compensation for industry in the package | 33% | 32% | 9% | 24% | 26% | 6% | 35% |
| There’s not enough compensation for households in the carbon price scheme | 49% | 29% | 20% | 29% | 25% | 4% | 22% |
| Politicians should just get on with taking action on climate change | 59% | 27% | 23% | 36% | 15% | 12% | 15% |
| The cost of living increases are less than I expected | 26% | 52% | 5% | 21% | 29% | 23% | 23% |
| The cost of living increases are less than I expected | 46% | 33% | 14% | 32% | 21% | 11% | 22% |
| The government’s carbon pricing scheme won’t have much effect on me and my family | 25% | 57% | 3% | 22% | 31% | 26% | 18% |
| Tony Abbott and the Liberal Party are more interested in votes than tackling climate change | 54% | 32% | 31% | 23% | 17% | 15% | 14% |
These responses suggest that the main concern about the carbon pricing scheme is the cost of living increases. The statement with the highest level of agreement is that a carbon price will lead to a big rise in the cost of living (68% agree/22% disagree). Only 25% agree that the government’s carbon pricing scheme won’t have much effect on me and my family. And 26% agree that the cost of living increases are less than I expected.
The only positive aspect of the scheme is that 46% agree that the cost of living increases are less than I expected.
Regarding the opposition, 54% agree that Tony Abbott and the Liberal Party are more interested in votes than tackling climate change.
carbon pricing scheme, Carbon Tax, climate change, Essential Report, Labor, Liberal, Polling, polls
Q. Which approach do you think would be most effective in reducing carbon emissions – the Government’s carbon pricing scheme or the Coalition’s proposal to pay companies to reduce emissions?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| Government carbon pricing scheme | 34% | 72% | 10% | 64% |
| Coalition’s proposal to pay companies | 28% | 5% | 52% | 6% |
| Don’t know | 37% | 23% | 38% | 31% |
34% think that the Government’s carbon pricing scheme would be the most effective in reducing emissions and 28% think the Coalition’s proposal would be more effective.
Strongest support for the Government’s scheme was shown by men (40%) and those aged under 35 (38%).
carbon pricing scheme, Carbon Tax, climate change, Essential Report, federal politics, Labor, Liberal, Polling, polls
Q.Which approach do you think would be the most cost effective – the Government’s carbon pricing scheme or the Coalition’s proposal to pay companies to reduce emissions?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| Government carbon pricing scheme | 33% | 69% | 10% | 60% |
| Coalition’s proposal to pay companies | 27% | 3% | 51% | 6% |
| Don’t know | 40% | 27% | 39% | 34% |
33% think that the Government’s carbon pricing scheme would be the most cost effective and 27% think the Coalition’s proposal would be more cost effective.
Strongest support for the Government’s scheme was shown by men (38%) and those aged under 35 (38%).
carbon pollution tax, carbon pricing scheme, Carbon Tax, climate change, Network Ten, Polling, polls, tax
Q. Does the Government’s decision to exempt fuel from the carbon tax for households, trade and small business make you more or less likely to support a carbon tax or does it make no difference?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | Men | Women | Age
18-34 |
Aged
35-54 |
Aged 55+ | |
| Total more likely to support | 30% | 50% | 20% | 44% | 30% | 31% | 41% | 26% | 24% |
| Total less likely to support | 11% | 8% | 11% | 19% | 14% | 8% | 12% | 13% | 10% |
| A lot more likely to support | 7% | 18% | 2% | 12% | 9% | 6% | 8% | 7% | 6% |
| A little more likely to support | 23% | 32% | 18% | 32% | 21% | 25% | 33% | 19% | 18% |
| A little less likely to support | 6% | 8% | 5% | 13% | 7% | 4% | 8% | 7% | 5% |
| A lot less likely to support | 5% | * | 8% | 8% | 7% | 4% | 4% | 6% | 5% |
| Makes no difference | 52% | 36% | 66% | 29% | 50% | 53% | 37% | 55% | 63% |
| Don’t know | 6% | 6% | 2% | 5% | 5% | 7% | 9% | 6% | 3% |
More than half the respondents (52%) said the Government’s decision to exempt fuel from the carbon tax for households, trade and small business makes no difference to their support for the carbon tax. 30% say it makes them more likely to support the tax and 11% less likely.
Those more likely to support the tax were Labor voters (50%), Greens voters (44%) and people aged under 35 (41%).
Those most likely to say it makes no difference were Coalition voters (66%) and people aged 55+ (63%).