Essential Report
Support and priority of Indigenous Issues
Q. What is your view about the following issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and whether they should be a priority for the government to address?
| TOTAL: Support | Jul’21 | Jun’19 | Feb’18 |
| Meet the ‘Close the Gap’ indigenous health, education and employment targets | 69% | 74% | 75% |
| Include aboriginal recognition in the constitution | 69% | 70% | 70% |
| Establish an indigenous ‘voice’ to advise the Parliament | 66% | 66% | 68% |
| Agree a treaty with indigenous Australia | 61% | 59% | 59% |
| Australia to become a republic | 43% | 43% | 46% |
| Change the date of Australia Day | 37% | 30% | 27% |
| TOTAL: Support | TOTAL: Support | Support, and should be a priority | Support, but not a high priority | Don’t support | Not sure |
| Meet the ‘Close the Gap’ indigenous health, education and employment targets | 69% | 34% | 35% | 15% | 15% |
| Include aboriginal recognition in the constitution | 69% | 31% | 38% | 17% | 14% |
| Establish an indigenous ‘voice’ to advise the Parliament | 66% | 29% | 37% | 19% | 15% |
| Agree a treaty with indigenous Australia | 61% | 27% | 33% | 22% | 17% |
| Australia to become a republic | 43% | 17% | 26% | 34% | 23% |
| Change the date of Australia Day | 37% | 17% | 20% | 50% | 12% |
- There is majority support to meet the ‘Close the Gap’ targets (69%), inclusion of aboriginal recognition in the constitution (69%), and establishment of an Indigenous ‘voice’ to advise Parliament (66%). Support for these changes is consistent with 2019.
- Support for Australia to become a republic is greater than opposition (43% to 34%) with 23% unsure on the issue.
- Support for changing the date of Australia day is now at 37%, an increase from 30% in 2019.
Perceptions of change in the standard of living for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
Q. In your opinion, over the past 10 years, have things got better or worse for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia, or have things stayed much the same?
| Jul’21 | Jan’21 | Jun’19 | |
| A lot better | 18% | 18% | 18% |
| A little better | 30% | 30% | 28% |
| Stayed much the same | 33% | 32% | 36% |
| A little worse | 6% | 7% | 5% |
| A lot worse | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| Don’t know | 11% | 11% | 10% |
| TOTAL: Better | 48% | 48% | 46% |
| TOTAL: Worse | 9% | 10% | 8% |
| Base (n) | 1,099 | 1,084 | 1,097 |
- Nearly half (48%) believe things have got better for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples over the last 10 years, unchanged since January this year (48%).
- About a third (33%) state that in their opinion, conditions have stayed much the same for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders over the past 10 years, while 9% believe things have got worse. Both figures are consistent with perceptions from the start of the year.
| Total | Labor | Coalition | Greens | NET: Other | |
| A lot better | 18% | 13% | 27% | 13% | 22% |
| A little better | 30% | 28% | 36% | 28% | 24% |
| Stayed much the same | 33% | 40% | 24% | 39% | 34% |
| A little worse | 6% | 7% | 4% | 9% | 7% |
| A lot worse | 3% | 3% | 2% | 3% | 7% |
| Don’t know | 11% | 9% | 8% | 7% | 7% |
| TOTAL: Better | 48% | 41% | 62% | 41% | 46% |
| TOTAL: Worse | 9% | 10% | 6% | 12% | 13% |
| Base (n) | 1,099 | 404 | 388 | 87 | 114 |
- Coalition voters are the most likely to think things have got better for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the last decade (62% compared to 41% Labor voters, 41% Greens voters and 46% minor/independent party voters).
COVID-19 RESEARCH
Read Essential's ongoing research on the public response to Covid-19.
Essential Report
In this week's report:
- Performance of Scott Morrison
- Performance of Anthony Albanese
- Preferred Prime Minister
- Views towards re-electing the federal Coalition government
- Party trust to handle issues
- Importance of Australia’s international reputation
- Scott Morrison’s impact on Australia’s international reputation
- Views towards Australia’s international reputation
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