Management of the economy
Q. How would you rate the government’s management of the Australian economy compared to how governments in other countries around the world have managed their economies?
|
|
Total
|
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote other |
|
May 2013 |
May 2014 |
| Total Good |
39% |
21% |
68% |
25% |
19% |
39% |
40% |
||
| Total Poor |
28% |
44% |
7% |
52% |
38% |
32% |
31% |
||
| Very good |
11% |
5% |
22% |
4% |
2% |
11% |
9% |
||
| Good |
28% |
16% |
46% |
21% |
17% |
28% |
31% |
||
| Neither good nor poor |
28% |
31% |
24% |
18% |
34% |
24% |
24% |
||
| Poor |
15% |
22% |
6% |
20% |
20% |
17% |
14% |
||
| Very poor |
13% |
22% |
1% |
32% |
18% |
15% |
17% |
||
| Don’t know |
5% |
3% |
1% |
4% |
9% |
5% |
5% |
39% of Australians would rate the government’s management of the economy, compared to other countries around the world, as good.
28% would rate their management of the economy as poor.
There have been no major shifts in attitudes since this question was asked in May.
Labor (21%), Greens (25%) and other (19%) voters were less likely to rate the government’s management of the economy as ‘good’. Lib/Nat voters (68%) were more likely to rate the government’s management of the economy as ‘good’.
47% of those earning $1,600+ pw rate the government’s management ‘good’ and 35% of those earning less than $1,000 pw rate it ‘poor’.
Foreign investment
Q. Do you think investment in mining and ports by Chinese companies is good or bad for the Australian economy?
|
Total
|
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote other |
|
| Total good |
38% |
37% |
50% |
34% |
29% |
|
| Total bad |
36% |
34% |
30% |
38% |
52% |
|
| Very good |
6% |
7% |
7% |
4% |
4% |
|
| Good |
32% |
30% |
43% |
30% |
25% |
|
| Bad |
22% |
24% |
18% |
24% |
28% |
|
| Very bad |
14% |
10% |
12% |
14% |
24% |
|
| Don’t know |
26% |
29% |
20% |
28% |
20% |
38% think that investment in mining and ports by Chinese companies is good for the Australian economy and 36% think it is bad.
Liberal/National voters are more likely to think it is good for the economy (50%), while Labor and Greens voters are almost evenly divided on this issue.
Those most likely to think it is good for the economy were men (48%) and full-time workers (46%). Those most likely to think it is bad were aged 55+ (46%).
Australian economy heading in right or wrong direction
Q. From what you have read and heard, do you think the Australian economy is heading in the right direction or the wrong direction?
|
|
May 2010 |
May 2011 |
Jun 2012 |
Apr 2013 |
Sep 2013 |
Jan 2014 |
Apr 2014 |
|
Total
|
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/ Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote other |
| The right dir-ection |
51% |
45% |
43% |
36% |
44% |
38% |
39% |
35% |
24% |
56% |
26% |
23% |
||
| The wrong dir-ection |
25% |
29% |
32% |
39% |
26% |
33% |
34% |
41% |
54% |
22% |
54% |
54% |
||
| Don’t know |
24% |
25% |
25% |
25% |
30% |
29% |
26% |
24% |
22% |
22% |
19% |
23% |
35% of respondents think that Australia’s economy is heading in the right direction and 41% think it is heading in the wrong direction. This represents a net change from +5 to -6 since April – and the most pessimistic response recorded over the last four years.
24% (down 1%) of Labor voters, 56% (down 11%) of Liberal/National voters and 26% (up 4%) of Greens voters think the economy is heading in the right direction. 54% of Labor and Greens voters and 50% of those earning less than $600pw think the economy is heading in the wrong direction.
State of the economy
Q. Overall, how would you describe the current state of the Australian economy?
|
|
28 May 12 |
8 Apr 13 |
16 Sep 13 |
21 Jan 14 |
|
Total
|
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote other |
| Total good |
35% |
45% |
40% |
34% |
38% |
38% |
47% |
36% |
21% |
||
| Total poor |
29% |
26% |
25% |
26% |
24% |
24% |
18% |
24% |
46% |
||
| Very good |
6% |
8% |
6% |
4% |
3% |
3% |
5% |
5% |
– |
||
| Good |
29% |
37% |
34% |
30% |
35% |
35% |
42% |
31% |
21% |
||
| Neither good nor poor |
33% |
28% |
32% |
36% |
34% |
34% |
33% |
37% |
33% |
||
| Poor |
20% |
17% |
20% |
21% |
19% |
18% |
16% |
20% |
31% |
||
| Very poor |
9% |
9% |
5% |
5% |
5% |
6% |
2% |
4% |
15% |
||
| Don’t know |
2% |
2% |
3% |
4% |
4% |
4% |
2% |
4% |
– |
38% described the economy as good or very good and 24% poor/very poor – 34% said it was neither. This represents a net improvement from +8 to +14 since January. The main shift since January was an increase of 7% for “good” and a decrease of 6% for “poor” among Liberal/National voters.
Those most likely to think the economy was good/very good were people with incomes over $1,600pw (42%). Liberal/National voters (47%) were more likely that Labor voters (38%) to think the economy was good.
Australian economy heading in right or wrong direction
Q. From what you have read and heard, do you think the Australian economy is heading in the right direction or the wrong direction?
|
|
17 May 10 |
9 May 11 |
18 Jun 12 |
29 Apr 13 |
16 Sep 13 |
21 Jan 14 |
|
Total
|
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote other |
| The right direction |
51% |
45% |
43% |
36% |
44% |
38% |
39% |
25% |
67% |
22% |
21% |
||
| The wrong direction |
25% |
29% |
32% |
39% |
26% |
33% |
34% |
43% |
15% |
50% |
61% |
||
| Don’t know |
24% |
25% |
25% |
25% |
30% |
29% |
26% |
32% |
19% |
29% |
18% |
39% of respondents think that Australia’s economy is heading in the right direction – 34% think it is heading in the wrong direction. These figures are almost unchanged since this question was asked in January.
25% (up 2%) of Labor voters, 67% (up 4%) of Liberal/National voters and 22% (up 1%) of Greens voters think the economy is heading in the right direction. 45% of men think the economy is heading in the right direction compared to 33% of women.
State of the economy
Q. Overall, how would you describe the current state of the Australian economy?
|
|
28 May 12 |
8 Apr 13 |
16 Sep 13 |
|
Total
|
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote other |
| Total good |
35% |
45% |
40% |
34% |
35% |
40% |
35% |
26% |
||
| Total poor |
29% |
26% |
25% |
26% |
25% |
24% |
26% |
41% |
||
| Very good |
6% |
8% |
6% |
4% |
5% |
4% |
5% |
3% |
||
| Good |
29% |
37% |
34% |
30% |
30% |
36% |
30% |
23% |
||
| Neither good nor poor |
33% |
28% |
32% |
36% |
38% |
35% |
37% |
31% |
||
| Poor |
20% |
17% |
20% |
21% |
19% |
21% |
22% |
31% |
||
| Very poor |
9% |
9% |
5% |
5% |
6% |
3% |
4% |
10% |
||
| Don’t know |
2% |
2% |
3% |
4% |
3% |
2% |
3% |
2% |
34% described the economy as good or very good and 26% poor/very poor – 36% said it was neither. This represents a net decline from +15 to +8 since September.
Those most likely to think the economy was good/very good were people with incomes over $1,600pw (41%). Liberal/National voters (40%) were only slightly more likely that Labor voters (35%) to think the economy was good.
Australian economy heading in right or wrong direction
Q. From what you have read and heard, do you think the Australian economy is heading in the right direction or the wrong direction?
|
|
17 May 10 |
9 May 11 |
18 Jun 12 |
29 Apr 13 |
16 Sep 13 |
|
Total
|
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote other |
| The right direction |
51% |
45% |
43% |
36% |
44% |
38% |
23% |
63% |
21% |
33% |
||
| The wrong direction |
25% |
29% |
32% |
39% |
26% |
33% |
49% |
14% |
54% |
38% |
||
| Don’t know |
24% |
25% |
25% |
25% |
30% |
29% |
28% |
24% |
25% |
29% |
38% of respondents think that Australia’s economy is heading in the right direction – 33% think it is heading in the wrong direction. Since this question was asked in September, “right direction” has decreased 6% and “wrong direction” increased 7%.
23% (down 17%) of Labor voters, 63% (up 11%) of Liberal/National voters and 21% (down 12%) of Greens voters think the economy is heading in the right direction. 42% of men think the economy is heading in the right direction compared to 35% of women.
Economic outlook
Q. Over the next 12 months do you think economic conditions in Australia will get better, get worse or stay much the same?
|
|
1 Dec 08 |
5 Oct 09 |
18 Oct 10 |
3 Oct 11 |
27 Aug 12 |
29 Jan 13 |
|
Total 16 Sep 13 |
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
| Total better |
21% |
66% |
40% |
16% |
22% |
29% |
38% |
16% |
68% |
13% |
||
| Total worse |
61% |
15% |
30% |
58% |
45% |
37% |
33% |
59% |
8% |
58% |
||
| Get a lot better |
2% |
8% |
6% |
2% |
3% |
4% |
7% |
4% |
14% |
– |
||
| Get a little better |
19% |
58% |
34% |
14% |
19% |
25% |
31% |
12% |
54% |
13% |
||
| Get a little worse |
45% |
11% |
20% |
41% |
30% |
28% |
23% |
40% |
7% |
40% |
||
| Get a lot worse |
16% |
4% |
10% |
17% |
15% |
9% |
10% |
19% |
1% |
18% |
||
| Stay much the same |
13% |
15% |
24% |
22% |
27% |
27% |
19% |
17% |
19% |
20% |
||
| Don’t know |
5% |
4% |
6% |
4% |
6% |
6% |
10% |
9% |
5% |
10% |
Confidence in the economic outlook has improved since January. The percentage of respondents believing conditions will get better increased 9 points to 38%, while those believing that economic conditions will get worse over the next 12 months dropped 4 points to 33%. This is the most positive outlook recorded since October 2010.
Shifts in opinion are strongly associated with voting intention – Labor voters have shifted from 50% better/22% worse (net +28) to 16% better/59% worse (net -43). Liberal/National voters have shifted from 21% better/51% worse (net -30) to 68% better/8% worse (net +60).
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