2PP, ER, Essential Report, Greens, Labor, Liberal, Nationals, Polling, polls, two party preferred, voting, 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 = 1,898 respondents
| First preference/leaning to | Election
21 Aug 10 |
4 weeks ago | 2 weeks ago | Last week | This week |
| Liberal | 44% | 44% | 46% | 45% | |
| National | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% | |
| Total Lib/Nat | 43.6% | 47% | 47% | 48% | 48% |
| Labor | 38.0% | 34% | 35% | 34% | 34% |
| Greens | 11.8% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 11% |
| Other/Independent | 6.6% | 9% | 8% | 7% | 8% |
| 2PP | Election
21 Aug 10 |
4 weeks ago | 2 weeks ago | Last week | This week |
| Total Lib/Nat | 49.9% | 55% | 54% | 55% | 54% |
| Labor | 50.1% | 45% | 46% | 44% | 46% |
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.
2PP, ER, Essential Report, Greens, Labor, Liberal, Nationals, Polling, polls, two party preferred, voting, 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 = 1,902 respondents
| First preference/leaning to | Election
21 Aug 10 |
4 weeks ago | 2 weeks ago | Last week | This week |
| Liberal | 45% | 43% | 44% | 46% | |
| National | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% | |
| Total Lib/Nat | 43.6% | 48% | 46% | 47% | 48% |
| Labor | 38.0% | 32% | 35% | 35% | 34% |
| Greens | 11.8% | 11% | 9% | 10% | 10% |
| Other/Independent | 6.6% | 8% | 9% | 8% | 7% |
| 2PP | Election
21 Aug 10 |
4 weeks ago | 2 weeks ago | Last week | This week |
| Total Lib/Nat | 49.9% | 55% | 54% | 54% | 55% |
| Labor | 50.1% | 45% | 46% | 46% | 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.
ER, Essential Report, Exporting Uranium, Greens, India, Labor, Liberal, Nationals, Polling, polls, trade, Uranium, uranium export
Q. Do you support or oppose the proposal for Australia to export uranium to India?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| Total support | 30% | 31% | 35% | 17% |
| Total oppose | 45% | 40% | 47% | 66% |
| Strongly support | 7% | 6% | 10% | 1% |
| Support | 23% | 25% | 25% | 16% |
| Oppose | 24% | 25% | 25% | 30% |
| Strongly oppose | 21% | 15% | 22% | 36% |
| Don’t know | 25% | 28% | 17% | 17% |
30% support the proposal for Australia to export uranium to India and 45% oppose – 25% had no opinion. All voter groups were more likely to oppose the sale of uranium to India.
All age groups were more likely to oppose the proposal – and men were split 43% support to 41% oppose, compared to women 18% support/49% oppose.
electricity, ER, Essential Report, Greens, Labor, Liberal, Nationals, Nuclear Power, nuclear power plants, Polling
Q. Do you support or oppose Australia developing nuclear power plants for the generation of electricity?
| 27 Jan 2009 | 20 Dec 2010 | 21 Mar 2011 | Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| Total support | 43% | 43% | 35% | 39% | 31% | 50% | 27% |
| Total oppose | 35% | 37% | 53% | 45% | 53% | 37% | 68% |
| Strongly support | 14% | 16% | 12% | 13% | 7% | 20% | 9% |
| Support | 29% | 27% | 23% | 26% | 24% | 30% | 18% |
| Oppose | 21% | 21% | 21% | 22% | 27% | 18% | 25% |
| Strongly oppose | 14% | 16% | 32% | 23% | 26% | 19% | 43% |
| Don’t know | 22% | 19% | 13% | 16% | 16% | 13% | 6% |
45% oppose Australia developing nuclear power plants for the generation of electricity and 39% support. This is a considerable shift in opinion since this question was last asked in March following the problems with the nuclear power plants in Japan after the tsunami. However, there remains net opposition to nuclear power plants – compared to net support in surveys conducted in 2009 and 2010.
Those that intend to vote Lib/Nat were more likely to support (50%) than oppose (37%) Australia developing nuclear power plants for the generation of electricity.
There was majority opposition from Labor (53% oppose or strongly oppose) and the Greens (68% oppose or strongly oppose).
There is a considerable difference between the attitudes of males and females towards nuclear power plants – 56% of males, compared to just 24% of females support or strongly support Australia developing nuclear power plants for the generation of electricity.
2PP, Essential Report, Greens, Labor, Liberal, Nationals, Polling, two party preferred, 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 = 1,898 respondents
| First preference/leaning to | Election
21 Aug 10 |
4 weeks ago | 2 weeks ago | Last week | This week |
| Liberal | 45% | 44% | 43% | 44% | |
| National | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% | |
| Total Lib/Nat | 43.6% | 48% | 47% | 46% | 47% |
| Labor | 38.0% | 33% | 34% | 35% | 35% |
| Greens | 11.8% | 11% | 10% | 9% | 10% |
| Other/Independent | 6.6% | 8% | 9% | 9% | 8% |
| 2PP | Election
21 Aug 10 |
4 weeks ago | 2 weeks ago | Last week | This week |
| Total Lib/Nat | 49.9% | 55% | 55% | 54% | 54% |
| Labor | 50.1% | 45% | 45% | 46% | 46% |
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.
Approval of opposition leader, Essential Report, Liberal, Polling, tony abbott
Q. Do you approve or disapprove of the job Tony Abbott is doing as Opposition Leader?
| 18 Jan
2010 |
5 Jul
2010 |
20 Dec 2010 | 14 Mar | 14 June | 12 Sept | 17 Oct | 14 Nov | |
| Total approve | 37% | 37% | 39% | 38% | 38% | 39% | 40% | 36% |
| Total disapprove | 37% | 47% | 39% | 47% | 48% | 50% | 51% | 52% |
| Strongly approve | 5% | 8% | 9% | 7% | 6% | 8% | 8% | 6% |
| Approve | 32% | 29% | 30% | 31% | 32% | 31% | 32% | 30% |
| Disapprove | 20% | 23% | 21% | 24% | 25% | 23% | 23% | 26% |
| Strongly disapprove | 17% | 24% | 18% | 23% | 23% | 27% | 28% | 26% |
| Don’t know | 26% | 16% | 22% | 16% | 15% | 11% | 9% | 12% |
Tony Abbott’s approval rating has fallen over the last month. 36% (down 4%) approve of the job Tony Abbott is doing as Opposition Leader and 52% (up 1%) disapprove – a change in net rating from -11 to -16 over the last 4 weeks. This is the lowest rating recorded for Tony Abbott since he became opposition leader.
73% (down 5%) of Coalition voters approve and 19% (up 3%) disapprove.
By gender – men 39% approve/52% disapprove, women 33% approve/51% disapprove.
Essential Report, federal politics, Greens, Julia Gillard, Labor, Liberal, Nationals, Polling, tony abbott
Q. Who do you think would make the better Prime Minister out of Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott?
| 5 Jul 2010 | 14 Mar | 14 June | 12 Sept | 17 Oct | 14 Nov | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| Julia Gillard | 53% | 44% | 41% | 36% | 38% | 41% | 83% | 7% | 80% |
| Tony Abbott | 26% | 33% | 36% | 40% | 39% | 36% | 5% | 73% | 4% |
| Don’t know | 21% | 23% | 24% | 24% | 23% | 24% | 12% | 20% | 17% |
41% believe Julia Gillard would make the better Prime Minister and 36% prefer Tony Abbott – a net improvement for Julia Gillard of 6% on last month’s figures (from -1% to +5%). This is the best result for Julia Gillard since June.
Men are evenly split 39%/39% and women favour Julia Gillard 42%/33%.
Australia, Essential Report, Greens, Labor, Liberal, Nationals, Polling
Q. To which region do you think Australia’s future is most closely tied?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| Europe | 7% | 6% | 7% | 5% |
| Asia | 74% | 81% | 76% | 82% |
| North America | 9% | 6% | 10% | 10% |
| Don’t know | 10% | 6% | 8% | 4% |
74% think Australia’s future is most closely tied to Asia – only 9% think it is tied to North America and 7% Europe.
Views are similar across major voter groups. However, younger respondents were a little less likely to agree – 68% of those aged under 35 think Australia’s future is most closely tied to Asia compared to 81% of those aged 55+.