Q. Do you think that The Greens’ policies are too extreme or do they represent the views of many voters?

52% think The Greens’ policies are too extreme and 24% think they represent the views of many voters. Since this question was last asked in November, the percentage thinking they are extreme has increased 5%. This increase is mainly due to more Labor voters thinking the Greens are too extreme, which has increased from 38% to 48%

Those most likely to think The Greens’ policies are too extreme were men (61%), aged 55+ (67%) and Liberal/National voters (68%).

Q. Do you think that The Greens’ policies are too extreme or do they represent the views of many voters?

47% think The Greens’ policies are too extreme and 25% think they represent the views of many voters. Since this question was last asked in July, the percentage thinking they are extreme has dropped 6% while “don’t know” has increased from 21% to 28%.

Those most likely to think The Greens’ policies are too extreme were men (55%), aged 55+ (66%) and Liberal/National voters (69%).

30% of respondents aged under 35 think they represent the views of many voters and 33% think they are too extreme.

Q. Do you think that The Greens’ policies are too extreme or do they represent the views of many voters?

53% think The Greens’ policies are too extreme and 26% think they represent the views of many voters.

Those most likely to think The Greens’ policies are too extreme were men (61%), aged 55+ (77%) and Liberal/National voters (70%).

37% of respondents aged under 35 think they represent the views of many voters and 35% think they are too extreme.

Q. And which statements do you feel fit the Greens?

The Greens’ main attributes were – extreme (61%), out of touch with ordinary people (60%), will promise to do anything to win votes (52%) and clear about what they stand for (51%). Compared to the major parties, the Greens were rated more highly for being clear about what they stand for and having a vision for the future.

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First published on The Drum: 12/04/2011

The Prime Minister has been dedicating a significant slice of stump time in recent weeks to explaining the differences between the ALP and the Greens, how one emerges from real-world struggles and the other is a group of out-of-touch extremists.

A similar debate has been being waged within the Greens following their underwhelming NSW state election performance, where a local candidate’s intervention in the Middle East peace provided the platform to portray the party as a collective of bat-faced ideologues.

But as the debate about the Greens’ orientation gains pertinence as they move to assume the balance of power in the Senate a more basic fact is being missed: Labor voters and Green voters agree on just about everything.

A review of findings to Essential Research questions over the past few months finds that on nearly every big debate the similarities between Greens voters and Labor voters far outweigh their differences.

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