The Essential Report Archive Read the latest report

  • Apr, 2013

    , , , , , , ,

    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 = 1,905 respondents

    First preference/leaning to

    Election

    21 Aug 10

    4 weeks ago

    25/3/13

    2 weeks ago

    8/4/13

    Last week

    15/4/13

    This week

    22/4/13

    Liberal

    45%

    47%

    44%

    44%

    National

    2%

    2%

    3%

    3%

    Total Lib/Nat

    43.6%

    47%

    49%

    48%

    48%

    Labor

    38.0%

    33%

    32%

    34%

    34%

    Greens

    11.8%

    11%

    9%

    9%

    9%

    Other/Independent

    6.6%

    9%

    9%

    9%

    9%

     

    2PP

    Election

    21 Aug 10

    4 weeks ago

    2 weeks ago

    Last week

     

    This week

    Total Lib/Nat

    49.9%

    54%

    56%

    55%

    55%

    Labor

    50.1%

    46%

    44%

    45%

    45%

    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. plus or minus 2-3%.

  • Apr, 2013

    , ,

    War against Iraq

    Q. It is now 10 years since Australia went to war in Iraq. Do you think it was the right or wrong decision for Australia to go to war against Iraq?

     

    Total

     

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    Right decision

    23%

    22%

    30%

    7%

    Wrong decision

    51%

    56%

    42%

    76%

    Don’t know

    26%

    21%

    28%

    18%

    51% believe Australia made the wrong decision to go to war in Iraq and 23% think it was the right decision.

    Those most likely to say it was the wrong decision were Greens voters (76%), Labor voters (56%) and people aged 45-64 (56%).

    30% of Liberal/National voters and 30% of men thought it was the right decision.

  • Apr, 2013

    , , ,

    Reason for war against Iraq

    Q. What do you think was the main reason John Howard’ s Government joined the war in Iraq?

     

    Total

     

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    They believed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction

    18%

    15%

    26%

    5%

    To ensure access to Iraq’s oil

    9%

    12%

    6%

    8%

    To support the USA

    56%

    62%

    49%

    76%

    To remove Saddam Hussein

    7%

    6%

    8%

    2%

    Don’t know

    10%

    5%

    11%

    8%

    A majority (56%) thought that the main reason Australia joined the war in Iraq was to support the USA. Only 18% thought the main reason was that they believed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.

    Those most likely to think that the main reason was they believed  Iraq had weapons of mass destruction were Liberal/National voters (26%) and people aged 65+ (30%).

  • Apr, 2013

    , , , , , ,

    John Howard’s reason for war against Iraq

    Q.  John Howard has said that regardless of whether Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction or not, the decision was right because it was in Australia’s national interests, and the removal of Saddam Hussein’s regime provided the Iraqi people with opportunities for freedom. Do you agree or disagree?

     

    Total

     

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    Total agree

    44%

    35%

    58%

    16%

    Total disagree

    37%

    50%

    23%

    58%

    Strongly agree

    10%

    7%

    15%

    1%

    Agree

    34%

    28%

    43%

    15%

    Disagree

    20%

    24%

    15%

    21%

    Strongly Disagree

    17%

    26%

    8%

    37%

    Don’t know

    19%

    15%

    19%

    26%

    44% agreed and 37% disagreed with John Howard’s argument that regardless of whether Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction or not, the decision was right because it was in Australia’s national interests, and the removal of Saddam Hussein’s regime provided the Iraqi people with opportunities for freedom.

    58% of Liberal/National voters agreed while 58% of Greens voters and 50% of Labor voters disagreed.

  • Apr, 2013

    , ,

    Same sex marriage

    Q. Do you think people of the same sex should or should not be allowed to marry?

     

    15 Nov 10

    14 Mar 11

    4 Jul 11

    13 Aug 12

    24 Sep 12

    Total

    22 Apr 13

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    Should be allowed to marry

    53%

    49%

    54%

    54%

    55%

    54%

    64%

    42%

    89%

    Should not be allowed to marry

    36%

    40%

    35%

    33%

    36%

    33%

    26%

    44%

    3%

    Don’t know

    11%

    10%

    11%

    13%

    9%

    13%

    10%

    13%

    8%

    There has been little movement in the figures since the last time the question was polled last September: with a 1% decrease in those in favour of same sex marriage (54%) and a 3% decrease in those opposed (33%).

    There has been little movement in the results in the two years since the question was first polled in November 2010.

    Those most in favour of same sex marriage were Greens voters (89%), Labor voters (64%) and women (62%). 44% of Liberal/National voters, 40% of men and 50% of people aged 65+ opposed.

  • Apr, 2013

    , , , ,

    Opinion of Gonski report recommendations

    Q. The Gonski report on funding education has recommended a new model for school funding that would mean all students are entitled to a set level of funding regardless of where they go to school, disadvantaged schools receive more funding and taxpayer funding for private schools is adjusted down based on parents’ capacity to pay.

    Do you support or oppose these recommendations?

     

    27 Feb 12

    30 Jul 12

    Total

    22 Apr 13

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    Total support

    68%

    65%

    62%

    77%

    49%

    76%

    Total oppose

    13%

    14%

    18%

    6%

    31%

    5%

    Strongly support

    25%

    25%

    25%

    42%

    12%

    41%

    Support

    43%

    40%

    37%

    35%

    37%

    35%

    Oppose

    9%

    10%

    11%

    4%

    18%

    4%

    Strongly oppose

    4%

    4%

    7%

    2%

    13%

    1%

    Don’t know

    19%

    20%

    20%

    16%

    20%

    19%

    62% say they support the recommendations of the Gonski report on funding education and 18% were opposed. Support has weakened very slightly (-3%) since this question was asked last July.

    Strongest support was shown by Labor voters (77%) and Greens voters (76%).

    Since last July, support from Liberal/National voters has dropped from 59% to 49% and opposition increased from 20% to 31%.

  • Apr, 2013

    , , ,

    Government’s plan for education funding

    Q. The Government has announced a plan to implement the Gonski recommendations by providing substantially increased funding for public schools, some increased funding for private schools and some reduction in funding for universities. Do you approve or disapprove of the Government’s plan?

     

    Total

     

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    Total approve

    40%

    60%

    28%

    42%

    Total disapprove

    43%

    25%

    59%

    42%

    Strongly approve

    12%

    23%

    5%

    14%

    Approve

    28%

    37%

    23%

    28%

    Disapprove

    25%

    15%

    33%

    30%

    Strongly disapprove

    18%

    10%

    26%

    12%

    Don’t know

    17%

    16%

    13%

    15%

    40% approved the Government’s plan for implementing the Gonski recommendations and 43% disapproved. 60% of Labor voters approved and 59% of Liberal/National voters disapproved. Greens voters were split.

    By income, for those earning $600-$1,600pw, 47% approve and 37% disapprove while for those earning over $1,600 pw, 36% approve and 50% disapprove.

  • Apr, 2013

    , , , , , , , , , , ,

    Spending by a Liberal Government

    Q. If the Liberal Party won Government at the next election, do you think they would increase or decrease spending on the following areas or spend about the same as the Labor Government?

     

    Increase spending

    Decrease spending

    Spend about the same

    Don’t know

    Public schools

    22%

    30%

    33%

    15%

    Private schools

    28%

    27%

    28%

    16%

    Universities

    18%

    29%

    36%

    16%

    Support for manufacturing industries

    26%

    23%

    32%

    19%

    Pensions

    19%

    32%

    36%

    14%

    Welfare support

    12%

    45%

    28%

    14%

    Health and hospitals

    33%

    27%

    25%

    14%

    The environment

    11%

    39%

    34%

    16%

    Defence

    31%

    19%

    34%

    16%

    Foreign aid

    8%

    41%

    33%

    18%

    Public transport

    23%

    26%

    35%

    16%

    Roads

    26%

    22%

    36%

    16%

    Border security

    44%

    14%

    28%

    14%

    The arts

    7%

    40%

    32%

    21%

    Subsidies for business

    34%

    20%

    28%

    18%

    Overall, respondents were more likely to think a Liberal Government would reduce spending on welfare support, the arts, the environment, foreign aid, pensions, public schools and universities. They were more likely to think they would increase spending on  border security, defence and subsidies for business.

    Liberal voters thought a Liberal Government would be more likely to increase than decrease spending on public schools, manufacturing industries, pensions, public transport, health and hospitals, defence, roads, border security and subsidies for business.

Error: