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  • Jul, 2012

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    Federal politics – voting intention

    Q. If a Federal Election was held today to which party will you probably give your first preference vote? If not sure, which party are you currently leaning toward?

    Q. If don’t know -Well which party are you currently leaning to?

    Sample size = 1,846 respondents

    First preference/leaning to

    Election

    21 Aug 10

    4 weeks ago

    4/6/12

    2 weeks ago

    18/6/12

    Last week

    25/6/12

    This week

    2/7/12

    Liberal

    47%

    46%

    46%

    45%

    National

    3%

    3%

    3%

    3%

    Total Lib/Nat

    43.6%

    50%

    49%

    49%

    49%

    Labor

    38.0%

    33%

    33%

    33%

    32%

    Greens

    11.8%

    10%

    10%

    10%

    10%

    Other/Independent

    6.6%

    7%

    8%

    8%

    9%

     

    2PP

    Election

    21 Aug 10

    4 weeks ago

    2 weeks ago

    Last week

    This week

    Total Lib/Nat

    49.9%

    56%

    56%

    56%

    56%

    Labor

    50.1%

    44%

    44%

    44%

    44%

    NB.  The data in the above tables comprise 2-week averages derived from the first preference/leaning to voting questions.  Respondents who select ‘don’t know’ are not included in the results.  The two-party preferred estimate is calculated by distributing the votes of the other parties according to their preferences at the 2010 election. These estimates have a confidence interval of approx. + or – 2%.

  • Jul, 2012

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    Asylum Seeker Policies

    Q. Thinking about handling the issue of asylum seekers arriving in Australia by boat, which approach do you favour?

     

    Total

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    The Labor policy of offshore processing in Malaysia

    18%

    44%

    3%

    17%

    The Liberal policy of offshore processing in Nauru

    35%

    8%

    68%

    2%

    The Greens policy of onshore processing in Australia

    14%

    15%

    6%

    57%

    None of above

    16%

    14%

    12%

    14%

    Don’t know

    17%

    18%

    11%

    9%

    The Liberal’s policy of offshore processing asylum seekers in Nauru was the most preferred option (35%). 18% favoured the Labor policy of offshore processing in Malaysia and 14% favoured the Greens’ policy of onshore processing in Australia.

    A majority of Liberal/National voters and Greens voters favoured their own party’s policy but only 44% of Labor voters favoured the Labor policy.

    The Liberal’s policy was favoured by 41% of men and 47% of those aged 55+.

  • Jul, 2012

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    Negotiate a Solution for Handling Asylum Seekers

    Q. The Government has offered to negotiate with Tony Abbott and the Liberals to reach a compromise solution for handling asylum seekers. Tony Abbott has refused to negotiate and says the Government should adopt the Liberal policy. Do you think the Government and the Opposition should negotiate a solution or should the Government adopt the Liberal policy?

     

    Total

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    Should negotiate a solution

    57%

    86%

    34%

    85%

    Should adopt the Liberal policy

    26%

    5%

    50%

    1%

    Don’t know

    17%

    9%

    15%

    13

    57% agreed that the Government and the Opposition should negotiate a solution to handling asylum seekers and 26% think the Government should adopt the Liberal policy.

    Those most in favour of adopting the Liberal policy were men (33%), Liberal/National voters (50%) and those aged 65+ (40%).

  • Jul, 2012

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    Reading Newspapers

    Q. How often do you read newspapers (in print, not online)?

     

    Total

    Aged 18-34

    Aged 35-54

    Aged 55+

    Visit news websites daily

    Visit news websites a few times a week

    Visit news websites about once a week

    Visit news websites less often

    Never visit news websites

    Daily

    24%

    15%

    25%

    34%

    34%

    20%

    19%

    14%

    19%

    A few times a week

    23%

    24%

    25%

    18%

    22%

    31%

    14%

    24%

    14%

    About once a week

    22%

    20%

    22%

    24%

    19%

    28%

    37%

    15%

    14%

    Less often

    22%

    30%

    19%

    16%

    19%

    15%

    24%

    39%

    17%

    Never

    9%

    11%

    9%

    8%

    6%

    6%

    6%

    7%

    35%

    24% said they read newspapers daily and 69% read at least once a week.

    Older respondents read newspapers more frequently – 34% of those aged 55+ read daily. 28% of those on higher incomes ($1,600+ pw) read daily compared to 18% of those earning under $600 pw.

    Those who visit news websites frequently also read newspapers more frequently – 34% of those visiting news websites daily also read newspapers daily.

  • Jul, 2012

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    Visiting News Websites

    Q. And how often do you visit news websites?

     

    Total

    Aged 18-34

    Aged 35-54

    Aged 55+

    Read news
    papers daily

    Read news
    papers a few times a week

    Read news
    papers about once a week

    Read news
    papers less often

    Never read news
    papers

    Daily

    39%

    39%

    39%

    38%

    54%

    38%

    34%

    33%

    26%

    A few times a week

    23%

    25%

    25%

    18%

    19%

    31%

    29%

    16%

    15%

    About once a week

    11%

    10%

    10%

    12%

    8%

    6%

    18%

    12%

    7%

    Less often

    18%

    18%

    17%

    20%

    11%

    19%

    13%

    32%

    15%

    Never

    10%

    8%

    9%

    12%

    8%

    6%

    6%

    8%

    37%

    39% said they visited news websites daily and 73% visit at least once a week.

    Visiting news websites was similar across age groups but a little higher for those on higher incomes – 44% of those earning $1,600+ pw compared to 33% of those earning under $600 pw.

    Those who read newspapers frequently also visit news websites more frequently – 54% of those reading newspapers daily also visit news websites daily.

    Note that as this is an online survey, all respondents have access to the Internet.

  • Jul, 2012

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    Concern about Cutting Journalists

    Q. Australia’s major newspaper publishers – News and Fairfax – recently announced substantial job cuts, including many journalists. How concerned are you that Australian newspapers are losing so many professional journalists?

     

    Total

    Vote ALP

    Vote Lib

    Vote Greens

    Aged 18-34

    Aged 35-54

    Aged 55+

    Read daily

    Read a few times a week

    Read about once a week

    Read less often/

    never

    Very concerned

    20%

    26%

    19%

    23%

    15%

    21%

    26%

    34%

    24%

    14%

    12%

    Somewhat concerned

    28%

    28%

    29%

    34%

    28%

    29%

    27%

    34%

    34%

    24%

    22%

    A little concerned

    29%

    28%

    29%

    22%

    31%

    29%

    26%

    21%

    25%

    37%

    32%

    Not at all concerned

    17%

    16%

    18%

    16%

    18%

    16%

    17%

    9%

    14%

    21%

    23%

    Don’t know

    6%

    2%

    5%

    5%

    7%

    6%

    4%

    3%

    3%

    4%

    12%

    20% were very concerned and 28% somewhat concerned about job cuts to newspaper journalists.

    68% of daily readers of newspapers were very/somewhat concerned.

    Those most concerned were aged 55+ (53%) and respondents from Victoria (59%).

  • Jul, 2012

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    Statements about Cutting Journalists

    Q. Which of the following statements is closest to your view?

     

    Total

    Vote ALP

    Vote Lib

    Vote Greens

    Aged 18-34

    Aged 35-54

    Aged 55+

    Read daily

    Read a few times a week

    Read about once a week

    Read less often/

    never

    As we lose more and more professional journalists, we are losing the seasoned judgments of skilled and experienced professionals in gathering and assessing information – and that is a bad thing for Australia and Australian democracy.

    50%

    53%

    49%

    52%

    41%

    48%

    62%

    70%

    53%

    44%

    35%

    With the internet, we all have access to a large amount of information and the loss of the professional journalists who work for the major newspapers in Australia really doesn’t matter that much.

    31%

    26%

    34%

    34%

    37%

    30%

    25%

    20%

    28%

    39%

    36%

    Don’t know

    20%

    21%

    17%

    14%

    22%

    22%

    13%

    10%

    19%

    17%

    29%

    Respondents were more likely to agree with the statement that “As we lose more and more professional journalists, we are losing the seasoned judgments of skilled and experienced professionals in gathering and assessing information – and that is a bad thing for Australia and Australian democracy” (50%).

    Those most likely to support this statement were aged 55+ (62%), daily newspaper readers (70%) and Victorians (58%).

  • Jul, 2012

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    Concern about Newspapers Closing

    Q. How concerned are you about the possibility that in the next few years, most daily newspapers will stop publishing?

     

    Total

    Vote ALP

    Vote Lib

    Vote Greens

    Aged 18-34

    Aged 35-54

    Aged 55+

    Read daily

    Read a few times/ week

    Read about once / week

    Read less often/

    never

    Very concerned

    24%

    31%

    21%

    15%

    18%

    22%

    34%

    52%

    23%

    14%

    9%

    Somewhat concerned

    24%

    25%

    27%

    29%

    21%

    26%

    25%

    26%

    34%

    24%

    16%

    A little concerned

    29%

    19%

    32%

    29%

    31%

    30%

    24%

    14%

    31%

    35%

    34%

    Not at all concerned

    19%

    20%

    16%

    27%

    23%

    17%

    16%

    7%

    11%

    25%

    29%

    Don’t know

    5%

    5%

    3%

    1%

    8%

    4%

    2%

    1%

    *

    3%

    12

    48% were very or somewhat concerned about the possibility of most daily newspapers closing in the next few years and 48% were only a little or not at all concerned. 78% of those who read daily were very/somewhat concerned – and 52% were very concerned.

    Those most concerned were women (53% very/somewhat), aged 55+ (59%) and Victorians (59%).

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