Essential Report
Pay for professionals
Q. Do you think the following workers are not paid enough, paid about right, or paid too much for the work they do?
Not paid enough | Pay is about right | Paid too much | Unsure | |
Nurses | 54% | 28% | 9% | 9% |
Early childhood teachers | 45% | 32% | 11% | 13% |
Primary and secondary school teachers | 40% | 37% | 11% | 11% |
Tradespeople | 13% | 51% | 25% | 11% |
Bankers | 4% | 28% | 57% | 10% |
Lawyers | 3% | 24% | 64% | 9% |
TOTAL: AREN’T PAID ENOUGH | Total | Gender | Age Group | Federal Voting Intention | ||||||
Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | Labor | Coalition | Greens | TOTAL: Other | ||
Nurses | 54% | 50% | 59% | 44% | 49% | 68% | 62% | 48% | 69% | 59% |
Early childhood teachers | 45% | 39% | 50% | 39% | 43% | 51% | 49% | 40% | 59% | 39% |
Primary and secondary school teachers | 40% | 36% | 44% | 40% | 47% | 45% | 45% | 35% | 58% | 38% |
Tradespeople | 13% | 13% | 13% | 17% | 12% | 11% | 15% | 11% | 14% | 16% |
Bankers | 4% | 5% | 4% | 9% | 4% | 1% | 4% | 6% | 2% | 1% |
Lawyers | 3% | 3% | 3% | 7% | 2% | 0% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3^% |
Base (n) | 1,085 | 533 | 552 | 335 | 374 | 376 | 339 | 417 | 92 | 126 |
- Participants say that nurses (54%), early childhood teachers (45%) and primary/secondary school teachers (40%) aren’t paid enough; while tradespeople are paid about right (51%), bankers and lawyers are paid too much (57% and 64% respectively).
- Women, participants over 55 and Greens voters are more likely to say nurses (59%, 68% and 69% respectively), primary/secondary school teachers (44%, 45% and 58%) and early childhood teachers (50%, 51% and 59%) aren’t paid enough.

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