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Preferred energy sources for government support

22 Jun 2021

Q. As you may be aware, many of Australia’s coal-fired power stations are reaching the end of their operational lives and will soon need to be replaced.

Which of the following would you prefer that the government supported?

  Jun’21 Nov’20 Sep’20
 
New coal-fired power stations 15% 15% 15%
New gas-fired power stations 12% 14% 15%
Renewable energy solutions (e.g. wind and solar) 73% 71% 70%
Base (n) 1,087 1,034 1,081
  • The vast majority of Australians would prefer the government supported renewable energy solutions ahead of coal-fired or gas-fired power stations.
  • 73% of people prefer renewable energy solutions to replace coal-fired power stations. Only 12% opt for gas-fired power stations. 15% think Australia should persist with coal-fired power stations.
  Total Gender Age Group Federal Voting Intention
  Male Female 18-34 35-54 55+ Labor Liberal + National Greens TOTAL: Other
New coal-fired power stations 15% 18% 12% 13% 11% 19% 8% 22% 4% 25%
New gas-fired power stations 12% 15% 10% 11% 11% 16% 7% 17% 14% 10%
Renewable energy solutions (e.g. wind and solar) 73% 67% 78% 76% 78% 65% 85% 61% 82% 65%
Base (n) 1,087 527 560 328 374 385 378 407 98 102
  • The preference for renewable energy solutions is high across all gender, age and voting demographics.
  • Those most supportive of renewable energy solutions include women (78%), those aged under 55 (77%), Labor voters (85%) and Greens voters (82%). The proportion of Labor voters supporting renewable energy solutions has increased from 79% since last November. The majority of Coalition voters would prefer the government to support renewable energy sources over gas or coal (61%).
  • While support for new coal-fired and gas-fired power stations is low overall, the highest support for new coal-fired power stations is among Coalition voters and minor or independent party voters (22% and 25% respectively). The highest support for new gas-fired power stations is among Coalition voters and those aged over 55 (17% and 16% respectively).
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