Interests Represented by Parties
Q. Which political party do you think best represents the interests of –
Labor | Liberal | Greens | Don’t know | Net (Labor-
Liberal |
Net
May 11 |
||
Families with young children | 42% | 31% | 5% | 23% | +11 | +3 | |
Students | 36% | 26% | 12% | 27% | +10 | +2 | |
Working people on average incomes | 44% | 33% | 5% | 18% | +11 | +8 | |
Working people on low incomes | 50% | 25% | 6% | 19% | +25 | +16 | |
Working people on high incomes | 13% | 67% | 2% | 18% | -54 | -50 | |
People on welfare | 46% | 20% | 9% | 26% | +26 | +15 | |
Pensioners | 39% | 27% | 7% | 27% | +12 | +5 | |
Small businesses and self-employed | 22% | 51% | 3% | 24% | -29 | -27 | |
Big business | 11% | 68% | 1% | 19% | -57 | -49 | |
The next generation of Australians | 21% | 32% | 17% | 30% | -11 | -12 | |
Indigenous people | 28% | 17% | 19% | 36% | +11 | +2 | |
Ethnic communities | 27% | 19% | 15% | 39% | +8 | +1 | |
Rural and regional Australians | 22% | 35% | 12% | 31% | -13 | -16 |
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. The Greens’ main strengths are in representing the next generation, indigenous people and ethnic communities.
Since this question was last asked in May, the Labor Party has considerably improved its position on representing the interests of families with young children, students, people on low incomes and people on welfare. The perception that the Liberal Party best represents the interest of big business has increased.

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