26 March 2012, 260312, Australian economy, economic future, economic outlook, economy, Finance, money, Polling, polls
Q. Overall, 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 (Post 2010 budget) |
9 May 11 (Post 2011 budget) |
4 Jul 11 |
26 Mar 12 |
Vote Labor |
Vote Liberal/ National |
Vote Greens |
|
| The right direction |
51% |
45% |
37% |
36% |
65% |
19% |
47% |
| The wrong direction |
25% |
29% |
43% |
41% |
15% |
64% |
23% |
| Don’t know |
24% |
25% |
20% |
22% |
21% |
17% |
30% |
36% of respondents think that Australia’s economy is heading in the right direction – 41% think it is heading in the wrong direction. Opinions have changed little since this question was asked in July last year – “right direction” has dropped 1% and “wrong direction” dropped 2%.
65% of Labor voters, 19% of Liberal/National voters and 47% of Greens voters think the economy is heading in the right direction.
26 March 2012, 260312, Australian economy, economy, Finance, Labor Party, Liberal Party, money, Polling, polls
Q. Which party do you think would be best at handling the Australian economy in the interests of you and people like you?
|
|
4 Jul 11 |
26 Mar 12 |
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
| The Labor Party |
26% |
29% |
76% |
1% |
39% |
| The Liberal Party |
43% |
41% |
2% |
89% |
7% |
| No difference |
23% |
20% |
14% |
7% |
45% |
| Don’t know |
8% |
10% |
7% |
4% |
9% |
41% (down 2% since July last year) think the Liberal Party would be best at handling the Australian economy in their interests and 29% (up 3%) nominated the Labor Party. 20% think there is no difference.
There were significant differences by income – those earning under $600pw split 38% Labor/30% Liberal while those earning over $1,600pw favoured the Liberal Party 49% to 23% Labor.
26 March 2012, 260312, Australian dollar, Australian economy, construction, economy, Farming & Grazing, Finance, finances, industries, industry, manufacturing, mining, Polling, polls, Retail, tourism
Q. The Australian dollar is now at $1.05 US and has been historically higher than the normal range of 60c-80c US. Is the high Australian dollar good or bad for the following industries?
|
Total good |
Total bad |
Very good |
Good |
Neither good nor bad |
Bad |
Very bad |
Don’t know |
|
| Mining industry |
29% |
29% |
10% |
19% |
20% |
24% |
5% |
22% |
| Farming & Grazing Industry |
16% |
49% |
4% |
12% |
16% |
36% |
13% |
19% |
| Finance Industry |
38% |
15% |
9% |
29% |
25% |
12% |
3% |
21% |
| Construction Industry |
24% |
26% |
4% |
20% |
28% |
22% |
4% |
23% |
| Manufacturing industry |
15% |
50% |
3% |
12% |
14% |
29% |
21% |
20% |
| Retail Industry |
23% |
47% |
6% |
17% |
14% |
30% |
17% |
16% |
| Australian Tourism Industry |
20% |
56% |
8% |
12% |
10% |
31% |
25% |
14% |
Overall, respondents think that the high Australian dollar has only been good for the finance industry (38% good/15% bad).
They believe that it has been particularly bad for the tourism industry (20% good/56% bad), the manufacturing industry (15%/50%), the farming and grazing industry (16%/49%) and the retail industry (23%/47%)
On the mining industry, they were split 29% good/29% bad.
26 March 2012, 260312, Australian dollar, Australian economy, economy, finances, high dollar, mining, Mining Boom, Polling, polls
Q. Has the mining boom and the high dollar been good or bad for –
|
Total good |
Total bad |
Very good |
Good |
Neither good nor bad |
Bad |
Very bad |
Don’t know |
|
| The economy generally |
52% |
12% |
11% |
41% |
22% |
10% |
2% |
15% |
| Jobs generally |
42% |
18% |
8% |
34% |
26% |
15% |
3% |
14% |
| You personally |
23% |
10% |
5% |
18% |
55% |
8% |
2% |
10% |
A majority (52%) think that the mining boom and the high dollar has been good for the economy and are more likely to think it has been good for jobs (42% good/18% bad).
61% of Labor voters, 53% of Greens voters and 51% of Coalition voters think it has been good for the economy.
55% think it has been neither good nor bad for them personally. For those on incomes over $1,600pw, 32% think it has been good for them personally and 9% bad.
2012, 2012 Outlook, Australian economy, economy, family, Personal financial situation, Polling, polls, workplace
Q. Thinking about the next 12 months, do you think 2012 will be a good or bad year for each of the following?
| Total good
Dec 10 |
Total bad
Dec10 |
Total good | Total bad | Very good | Good | Neither good nor bad | Bad | Very bad | Don’t know/Not applicable | |
| The Australian economy | 48% | 16% | 29% | 35% | 3% | 26% | 32% | 28% | 7% | 3% |
| Your personal financial situation | 39% | 20% | 33% | 27% | 4% | 29% | 38% | 20% | 7% | 2% |
| Your workplace * | 47% | 16% | 45% | 20% | 6% | 39% | 36% | 15% | 5% | 2% |
| You and your family overall | 51% | 14% | 52% | 16% | 10% | 42% | 30% | 12% | 4% | 2% |
* based on working people
Overall, respondents were optimistic that 2012 would be a good year for themselves overall (52%) and their workplace (45%). They tended to be less optimistic about their financial situation (33% good/27% bad) and somewhat pessimistic about the Australian economy (29%/35%).
Compared to expectations 12 months ago, respondents were much less optimistic about the Australian economy (48% good last year compared to 29% good this year) and also rather less optimistic about their own financial situation (39%/20% last year compared to 33%/27% this year).
When compared with last week’s questions on perceptions of 2011, these figures suggest that respondents expect 2012 to be better than 2011 for themselves and their family (net +36% for next year compared to net +24% for this year), a little better for their workplace (+25% next year, +20% last year) and their own financial situation (+6% next year, -2% this year). The Australian economy is expected to be a little worse in 2012 (-6% next year compared to +2% last year).
Australian economy, developed countries, economy, Greens, Labor, Liberals, Nationals, Polling, polls
Q. How do you think the Australian economy is performing in comparison to other developed countries?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| Total better | 73% | 84% | 72% | 80% |
| Total worse | 7% | 3% | 8% | 1% |
| A lot better | 27% | 44% | 19% | 32% |
| A little better | 46% | 40% | 53% | 48% |
| About the same | 16% | 13% | 16% | 12% |
| A little worse | 5% | 2% | 5% | 1% |
| A lot worse | 2% | 1% | 3% | – |
| Don’t know | 4% | 1% | 3% | 6% |
If ‘a lot better’ or ‘a little better’ –
Q. How much credit do the following deserve for the current performance of Australia’s economy?
| A lot | Some | A little | None | Don’t know | |
| The Federal Labor Government | 18% | 31% | 23% | 21% | 6% |
| The previous Coalition Government | 21% | 31% | 26% | 15% | 6% |
| The booming resources sector | 47% | 31% | 12% | 3% | 7% |
| The Reserve Bank | 6% | 42% | 29% | 13% | 9% |
73% think that the Australian economy is performing better than other developed countries and only 7% think it is performing worse.
Respondents give most credit for the performance of the economy to the booming resources sector (78% a lot or some credit). They give similar credit to the Labor Government (49%) and the previous Coalition Government (52%).
Australian economy, banks, economy, environment, Farming and agriculture, industries, Large companies and corporations, media, mining industry, Past Year, Polling, polls, small business
Q. Thinking about the last 12 months, has it been a good or bad year for each of the following?
| Total good
(Dec 10 |
Total bad
(Dec 10) |
Total good | Total bad | Very good | Good | Neither good nor bad | Bad | Very bad | Don’t know | |
| The banks | 69% | 13% | 71% | 8% | 35% | 36% | 16% | 6% | 2% | 4% |
| The mining industry | 57% | 14% | 68% | 11% | 34% | 34% | 15% | 8% | 3% | 6% |
| Large companies and corporations | 44% | 15% | 40% | 22% | 8% | 32% | 32% | 18% | 4% | 6% |
| The Australian economy | 41% | 20% | 33% | 31% | 4% | 29% | 32% | 24% | 7% | 3% |
| The media | 30% | 14% | 25% | 27% | 6% | 19% | 37% | 19% | 8% | 10% |
| Farming and agriculture | 14% | 50% | 23% | 40% | 2% | 21% | 30% | 28% | 12% | 7% |
| The environment | 14% | 37% | 20% | 33% | 3% | 17% | 41% | 24% | 9% | 6% |
| Small business | 14% | 45% | 10% | 61% | 1% | 9% | 24% | 42% | 19% | 6% |
A majority of respondents think it has been a good year for the banks (71%) and the mining industry (68%). They are also more likely to think it has been a good year for large companies and corporations (40% good/22% bad) and the economy (33%/31%). However, they are more likely to think the year has been bad for small business (61%), farming and agriculture (40%) and the environment (33%).
In terms of the economy, Labor voters (50% good/18% bad) and Greens voters (47%/15%) were more likely to think it has been a good year – while 45% of Liberal/National voters considered it poor and 23% good.
Compared to last years’ results, respondents considered 2011 a better year than 2010 for the mining industry (up 11% to 68% good), farming and agriculture (up 9% to 23%) and the environment (up 6% to 20%). Perceptions of the economy dropped from a net +21% to +2%.
Australian economy, Economic Prosperity, economy, ER, Essential Report, Greens, Labor, Liberals, Prosperity
Q. Which one of the following do you believe will be the most important factor in Australia’s economic prosperity over the next 20 years?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| A strong resources sector | 29% | 29% | 35% | 18% |
| Continued growth in China and India | 21% | 23% | 22% | 24% |
| Investment in skills | 20% | 22% | 16% | 23% |
| Prioritising innovation and technology | 18% | 18% | 13% | 31% |
| A strong banking and finance sector | 12% | 9% | 13% | 5% |
29% believe that a strong resources sector will be the most important factor in Australia’s economic prosperity over the next 20 years and 21% nominate the continued growth in China and India. Labor and Coalition voters were more likely to niominate “a strong resources sector” while 31% of Greens voters nominated “prioritising innovation and technology”.
Those on higher incomes were more likely to nominate “a strong resources sector “ – 36% of those on income $1,600+ pw.
There were no major differences by age group.