Essential Report, Greens, Labor, Liberal, mining, Nationals, Polling, polls
Q. Do you think the current mining boom in Australia has benefited you personally?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| Yes | 16% | 18% | 18% | 19% |
| No | 69% | 67% | 69% | 72% |
| Don’t know | 14% | 15% | 13% | 9% |
Only 16% agree that they have personally benefited from the mining boom and 69% think they have not benefited.
There was little difference across voter groups.
Those on higher incomes are a little more likely to say they have benefited – 24% of those earning $1,600+ per week compared to 13% of those earning less than $1,000 per week.
climate change, Essential Report, Greens, Labor, Liberal, Nationals, Polling, polls, science
Q. Do you agree or disagree that the current public campaign against action on climate change in Australia is undermining the credibility of scientists and science research in general?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| Total agree | 32% | 43% | 26% | 44% |
| Total disagree | 23% | 14% | 29% | 31% |
| Strongly agree | 12% | 15% | 10% | 22% |
| Agree | 20% | 28% | 16% | 22% |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 30% | 29% | 33% | 19% |
| Disagree | 15% | 10% | 18% | 21% |
| Strongly disagree | 8% | 4% | 11% | 10% |
| Don’t know | 15% | 13% | 12% | 6% |
32% agree that the current public campaign against action on climate change in Australia is undermining the credibility of scientists and science research in general and 23% disagree. 45% either don’t know or neither agree nor disagree.
Those most likely to agree were Labor voters (43%), Greens voters (44%) and those aged 18-34 (39%).
climate change, earth’s climate, Essential Report, Greens, Labor, Liberal, Nationals, Polling, polls, science
Q. Which of the following statements best reflects your attitude to doubts recently expressed by opponents of action on climate change about the science evidence?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| Doubts are valid because nothing is certain in science | 15% | 14% | 18% | 9% |
| Doubts are valid because man made climate change has not been proven | 29% | 15% | 43% | 11% |
| Doubts are misleading because the science evidence of man made climate change is overwhelming | 21% | 33% | 14% | 36% |
| Doubts are misleading because the science evidence has been rigorously tested and reviewed | 11% | 15% | 7% | 27% |
| Don’t know | 23% | 24% | 17% | 17% |
Overall, 44% believe doubts about the science evidence for climate change are valid (mainly because man made climate change has not been proven) and 33% think doubts are misleading (mainly because the science evidence of man made climate change is overwhelming).
Those most likely to think the doubts are valid were Liberal/National voters (61%), men (50%), aged 55+ (59%) and incomes under $600pw (54%).
Those most likely to think doubts are misleading were Greens voters (63%), Labor voters (48%) and those on incomes over $1,600pw (41%).
2PP, Election, Essential Report, federal politics, Greens, Julia Gillard, Labor, Liberal, Nationals, Polling, polls, Prime Minister, tony abbott, 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 = 1,921
| First preference/leaning to | Election
21 Aug 10 |
4 weeks ago | 2 weeks ago | Last week | This week |
| Liberal | 43% | 44% | 44% | 44% | |
| National | 3% | 3% | 2% | 3% | |
| Total Lib/Nat | 43.6 | 46% | 47% | 46% | 46% |
| Labor | 38.0 | 36% | 34% | 34% | 34% |
| Greens | 11.8 | 11% | 12% | 12% | 12% |
| Other/Independent | 6.6 | 7% | 8% | 8% | 8% |
| 2PP | Election
21 Aug 10 |
4 weeks ago | 2 weeks ago | Last week | This week |
| Total Lib/Nat | 49.9% | 52% | 54% | 53% | 54% |
| Labor | 50.1% | 48% | 46% | 47% | 46% |
NB. The data in the above tables comprise 2-week averages derived 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 PM, Essential Report, federal politics, Gillard, Greens, Julia Gillard, Labor, Liberal, Nationals, Polling, polls, Prime Minister
Q. Do you approve or disapprove of the job Julia Gillard is doing as Prime Minister?
| Kevin Rudd | Julia Gillard | |||||||||
| 31 May
2010 |
19 Jul | 20 Sep | 20 Dec | 17 Jan 2011 | 14 Feb | 14 Mar | 11 Apr | 9 May | 14 June | |
| Total approve | 41% | 52% | 45% | 43% | 51% | 48% | 41% | 37% | 41% | 34% |
| Total disapprove | 47% | 30% | 37% | 40% | 36% | 41% | 46% | 50% | 48% | 54% |
| Strongly approve | 7% | 11% | 12% | 10% | 8% | 9% | 7% | 7% | 7% | 6% |
| Approve | 34% | 41% | 33% | 33% | 43% | 39% | 34% | 30% | 34% | 28% |
| Disapprove | 25% | 17% | 21% | 24% | 24% | 25% | 22% | 25% | 26% | 29% |
| Strongly disapprove | 22% | 13% | 16% | 16% | 12% | 16% | 24% | 25% | 22% | 25% |
| Don’t know | 12% | 18% | 19% | 17% | 14% | 11% | 13% | 13% | 11% | 13% |
34% (down 7%) approve of the job Julia Gillard is doing as Prime Minister and 54% (up 6%) disapprove – a change in net rating from -7 to -20 over the last 5 weeks.
76% of Labor voters approve (down 10%) and 14% disapprove (up 4%).
By gender – men 34% approve/57% disapprove, women 35% approve/49% disapprove.
Approval of opposition leader, approval of PM, Greens, Labor, Liberal, Nationals, Polling, polls, Prime Minister, tony abbott
Q. Do you approve or disapprove of the job Tony Abbott is doing as Opposition Leader?
| 18 Jan
2010 |
29 Mar | 5 Jul | 20 Sep | 20 Dec | 17 Jan 2011 | 14 Feb | 14 Mar | 11 Apr | 9 May | 14 June | |
| Total approve | 37% | 33% | 37% | 43% | 39% | 42% | 38% | 38% | 36% | 42% | 38% |
| Total disapprove | 37% | 50% | 47% | 37% | 39% | 37% | 46% | 47% | 48% | 44% | 48% |
| Strongly approve | 5% | 8% | 8% | 12% | 9% | 7% | 8% | 7% | 7% | 8% | 6% |
| Approve | 32% | 25% | 29% | 31% | 30% | 35% | 30% | 31% | 29% | 34% | 32% |
| Disapprove | 20% | 28% | 23% | 21% | 21% | 22% | 24% | 24% | 25% | 25% | 25% |
| Strongly disapprove | 17% | 22% | 24% | 16% | 18% | 15% | 22% | 23% | 23% | 19% | 23% |
| Don’t know | 26% | 16% | 16% | 19% | 22% | 20% | 16% | 16% | 17% | 14% | 15% |
38% (down 4%) approve of the job Tony Abbott is doing as Opposition Leader and 48% (up 4%) disapprove – a change in net rating from -2 to -10 over the last 4 weeks.
70% of Coalition voters approve and 20% disapprove.
By gender – men 44% approve/47% disapprove, women 32% approve/49% disapprove.
Essential Report, Greens, Julia Gillard, Labor, Liberal, Nationals, Polling, polls, preferred PM, Prime Minister, tony abbott
Q. Who do you think would make the better Prime Minister out of Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott?
| 5 Jul 2010 | 17 Jan 2011 | 14 Feb | 14 Mar | 11 Apr | 9 May | 14 June | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | Kevin Rudd v Tony Abbott
21 Jun 10 |
||
| Julia Gillard | 53% | 47% | 48% | 44% | 42% | 43% | 41% | 84% | 7% | 65% | 47% | |
| Tony Abbott | 26% | 32% | 31% | 33% | 33% | 35% | 36% | 5% | 73% | 11% | 30% | |
| Don’t know | 21% | 21% | 20% | 23% | 24% | 22% | 24% | 11% | 20% | 24% | 23% |
41% believe Julia Gillard would make the better Prime Minister and 36% prefer Tony Abbott – a net decrease for Julia Gillard of 3% on last month’s figures (from +8% to +5%).
Men are split 40%/40% and women favour Julia Gillard 41%/32%.
climate change, earth’s climate, Essential Report, Greens, Labor, Liberal, Nationals, Polling, polls
Q. Do you believe that there is fairly conclusive evidence that climate change is happening and caused by human activity or do you believe that the evidence is still not in and we may just be witnessing a normal fluctuation in the earth’s climate which happens from time to time?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | Men | Women | Aged 18-34 | Aged 35-54 | Aged 55+ | Nov 09 | Dec 10 | 30 May 11 | ||
| Climate change is happening and is caused by human activity | 50% | 64% | 34% | 83% | 45% | 54% | 60% | 49% | 38% | 53% | 45% | 52% | |
| We are just witnessing a normal fluctuation in the earth’s climate | 39% | 28% | 55% | 10% | 44% | 33% | 27% | 37% | 55% | 34% | 36% | 36% | |
| Don’t know | 12% | 9% | 11% | 6% | 12% | 12% | 13% | 14% | 8% | 13% | 19% | 12% |
50% agree that climate change is happening and is caused by human activity and 39% believe that we may just be witnessing a normal fluctuation in the earth’s climate. This is little changed since this question was last asked in May.
By age groups, those aged under 35 split 60%/27% and those aged 55+ split 38%/55%.