Essential Report
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Performance of Scott Morrison
Q. Do you approve or disapprove of the job Scott Morrison is doing as Prime Minister?
| Feb’20 | Jan’20 | Dec’19 | Nov’19 | Oct’19 | Sep’19 | Aug’19 | Jul’19 | |
| NET: Approve | 39% | 40% | 45% | 45% | 47% | 49% | 48% | 48% |
| NET: Disapprove | 52% | 52% | 43% | 41% | 38% | 36% | 37% | 34% |
| Don’t know | 9% | 8% | 13% | 13% | 15% | 15% | 16% | 18% |
| Base (n) | 1,056 | 1,081 | 1,035 | 1,075 | 1,088 | 1,093 | 1,096 | 1,091 |
| Total | Federal Voting Intention | ||||
| Labor | Coalition | Greens | NET: Other | ||
| Strongly approve | 10% | 3% | 24% | 1% | 8% |
| Approve | 28% | 16% | 54% | 9% | 17% |
| Disapprove | 24% | 33% | 12% | 25% | 28% |
| Strongly disapprove | 28% | 40% | 5% | 60% | 36% |
| Don’t know | 9% | 8% | 5% | 5% | 11% |
| NET: Approve | 39% | 19% | 78% | 10% | 25% |
| NET: Disapprove | 52% | 74% | 17% | 84% | 64% |
| Base (n) | 1,056 | 354 | 320 | 113 | 155 |
- The Prime Minister’s approval rating is at 39%. It has not recovered following the fall from 45% at the end of last year to 40% in January.
- Still 52% disapprove of his performance, which shows no change from January (52%).
- However, the PM’s approval rating among Coalition voters remains high, 78% approval (79% in Jan’20).
Preferred Prime Minister
Q. Who do you think would make the better Prime Minister out of Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese?
| Feb’20 | Jan’20 | Nov’19 | Oct’19 | Sep’19 | Aug’19 | Jul’19 | Jun’19 | |
| Scott Morrison | 36% | 36% | 44% | 43% | 46% | 44% | 44% | 43% |
| Anthony Albanese | 36% | 39% | 28% | 28% | 25% | 28% | 26% | 25% |
| Don’t know | 28% | 25% | 29% | 29% | 29% | 28% | 31% | 32% |
| Base (n) | 1,056 | 1,081 | 1,075 | 1,088 | 1,093 | 1,096 | 1,091 | 1,099 |
| Federal Voting Intention | |||||
| Total | Labor | Coalition | Greens | NET: Other | |
| Scott Morrison | 36% | 14% | 77% | 5% | 31% |
| Anthony Albanese | 36% | 64% | 12% | 58% | 24% |
| Don’t know | 28% | 23% | 11% | 37% | 45% |
| Base (n) | 1,056 | 354 | 320 | 113 | 155 |
- Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese are considered equally capable of being Prime Minister (both 36%).
- 28% are unsure who would make the better PM.
Performance of Scott Morrison
Q. Do you approve or disapprove of the job Scott Morrison is doing as Prime Minister?
| Jan’20 | Dec’19 | Nov’19 | Oct’19 | Sep’19 | Aug’19 | Jul’19 | |
| NET: Approve | 40% | 45% | 45% | 47% | 49% | 48% | 48% |
| NET: Disapprove | 52% | 43% | 41% | 38% | 36% | 37% | 34% |
| Don’t know | 8% | 13% | 13% | 15% | 15% | 16% | 18% |
| Base (n) | 1,081 | 1,035 | 1,075 | 1,088 | 1,093 | 1,096 | 1,091 |
| Total | Federal Voting Intention | ||||
| Labor | Coalition | Greens | NET: Other | ||
| Strongly approve | 11% | 4% | 25% | 4% | 5% |
| Approve | 28% | 12% | 54% | 16% | 23% |
| Disapprove | 20% | 26% | 11% | 22% | 25% |
| Strongly disapprove | 32% | 52% | 6% | 51% | 38% |
| Don’t know | 8% | 7% | 4% | 7% | 10% |
| NET: Approve | 40% | 16% | 79% | 20% | 28% |
| NET: Disapprove | 52% | 77% | 17% | 73% | 63% |
| Base (n) | 1,081 | 349 | 372 | 106 | 148 |
- The Prime Minister’s approval rating has decreased from 45% last year to 40% this year.
- 52% disapprove of his performance in January, up from 43%. This has been driven by an increase those who strongly disapprove – up from 22% in December to 32%.
- The PM’s approval rating among Coalition voters remains consistent with 79% approval (on par with 82% approval last month).
- He has lost approval among Labor voters, among whom strongly disapprove has increased from 36% in December to 52%.
Preferred Prime Minister
Q. Who do you think would makes the better Prime Minister out of Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese?
| Jan’20 | Nov’19 | Oct’19 | Sep’19 | Aug’19 | Jul’19 | Jun’19 | |
| Scott Morrison | 36% | 44% | 43% | 46% | 44% | 44% | 43% |
| Anthony Albanese | 39% | 28% | 28% | 25% | 28% | 26% | 25% |
| Don’t know | 25% | 29% | 29% | 29% | 28% | 31% | 32% |
| Base (n) | 1,081 | 1,075 | 1,088 | 1,093 | 1,096 | 1,091 | 1,099 |
- For the first time since becoming leader of the Labor party, more people consider Anthony Albanese more capable of being PM than Scott Morrison. 39% think Albanese would be the better PM, compared to 36% for Morrison.
- A 6pt drop from November for Morrison has coincided with an 11pt increase for Albanese.
- A quarter (25%) don’t know who would make the better PM between the two.
Leadership during bushfires
Q. Do you approve or disapprove of Scott Morrison/Gladys Berejiklian/Daniel Andrews’s handling of the bushfire crisis?
| NET: Approve | NET: Disapprove | Strongly approve | Approve | Disapprove | Strongly disapprove | Don’t know | |
| Scott Morrison
(Asked in all states, n=1,081) |
32% | 57% | 8% | 24% | 21% | 36% | 11% |
| Gladys Berejiklian
(Asked in NSW only, n=333) |
55% | 22% | 14% | 43% | 14% | 9% | 22% |
| Daniel Andrews
(Asked in VIC only, n=275) |
58% | 20% | 14% | 44% | 13% | 7% | 22% |
| NET: APPROVE | Total | Federal Voting Intention | ||
| Labor | Coalition | NET: Other | ||
| Scott Morrison
(Asked in all states, n=1,081) |
32% | 11% | 64% | 23% |
| Gladys Berejiklian
(Asked in NSW only, n=333) |
55% | 54% | 71% | 40% |
| Daniel Andrews
(Asked in VIC only, n=333) |
58% | 67% | 63% | 37% |
- Around a third (32%) of people approve of Scott Morrison’s handing of the current bushfires crisis, with just 8% strongly approving of his performance. 36% strongly disapprove of his performance.
- Comparatively, state premiers Berejiklian and Andrews have performed well, with over half of people in each state approving of their handling of the crisis (55% in NSW and 58% in Victoria).
- The majority of Scott Morrison’s approval is coming from within his own supporter base, with 64% of intended Coalition voters approving of his performance during the crisis. Just 11% of Labor voters and 23% of those voting for another party approve of his performance.
Performance of Scott Morrison
Q. Do you approve or disapprove of the job Scott Morrison is doing as Prime Minister?
| Dec’19 | Nov’19 | Oct’19 | Sep’19 | Aug’19 | Jul’19 | Jun’19 | |
| NET: Approve | 45% | 45% | 47% | 49% | 48% | 48% | 48% |
| NET: Disapprove | 43% | 41% | 38% | 36% | 37% | 34% | 36% |
| Don’t know | 13% | 13% | 15% | 15% | 16% | 18% | 18% |
| Base (n) | 1,035 | 1,075 | 1,088 | 1,093 | 1,096 | 1,091 | 1,099 |
| Total | Federal Voting Intention | ||||
| Labor | Coalition | Greens | NET: Other | ||
| Strongly approve | 12% | 3% | 27% | 3% | 9% |
| Approve | 32% | 18% | 55% | 24% | 19% |
| Disapprove | 21% | 32% | 13% | 19% | 25% |
| Strongly disapprove | 22% | 36% | 1% | 46% | 35% |
| Don’t know | 13% | 11% | 5% | 7% | 12% |
| NET: Approve | 45% | 21% | 82% | 27% | 28% |
| NET: Disapprove | 43% | 68% | 13% | 66% | 60% |
| Base (n) | 1
,035 |
339 | 356 | 106 | 116 |
- The Prime Minister’s approval rating is now 45% and on par with Nov’19.
- While the PM’s approval has remained steady, disapproval scores have been increasing from 34% in July to 43% in December.
- The vast majority of Coalition voters approve of Morrison’s performance as PM, with 82% approval (on par with 83% approval last month).
Performance of Scott Morrison compared to expectations
Q. Since the federal election in May 2019, how has the performance of Scott Morrison compared to your expectations?
| Performance of Scott Morrison | Federal Voting Intention | |||||||
| Total | NET: Approve | NET: Disapprove | Don’t know | Labor | Coalition | Greens | NET: Other | |
| Has exceeded my expectations | 11% | 22% | 1% | 6% | 4% | 22% | 6% | 8% |
| Has met my expectations | 41% | 66% | 12% | 53% | 27% | 60% | 34% | 25% |
| Has fallen short of my expectations | 47% | 12% | 86% | 41% | 69% | 18% | 60% | 67% |
| Base (n) | 1,035 | 441 | 461 | 133 | 339 | 356 | 106 | 116 |
- 66% of participants who approve of the PM’s performance say he has met their expectations, compared to just 12% of those who disapprove of his performance.
- Again, Coalition voters are most likely to say Scott Morrison has met their expectations (60%) than other voters (28%).
Performance of Scott Morrison
Q. Do you approve or disapprove of the job Scott Morrison is doing as Prime Minister?
| Nov’19 | Oct’19 | Sep’19 | Aug’19 | Jul’19 | Jun’19 | |
| NET: Approve | 45% | 47% | 49% | 48% | 48% | 48% |
| NET: Disapprove | 41% | 38% | 36% | 37% | 34% | 36% |
| Don’t know | 13% | 15% | 15% | 16% | 18% | 18% |
| Base (n) | 1,075 | 1,088 | 1,093 | 1,096 | 1,091 | 1,099 |
| Total | Voting Intention | ||||
| Labor | Coalition | Greens | NET: Other | ||
| Strongly approve | 12% | 4% | 27% | 2% | 3% |
| Approve | 33% | 22% | 56% | 13% | 31% |
| Disapprove | 21% | 32% | 10% | 28% | 27% |
| Strongly disapprove | 20% | 32% | 2% | 43% | 27% |
| Don’t know | 13% | 11% | 5% | 15% | 12% |
| NET: Approve | 45% | 25% | 83% | 15% | 34% |
| NET: Disapprove | 41% | 64% | 11% | 71% | 54% |
| Base (n) | 1,075 | 325 | 377 | 107 | 155 |
- There is a slight drop in the approval rating of the Prime Minister this month, with the 45% of participants approving of the job, down from 47% last month and 49% in September.
- The vast majority of Coalition voters approve of Morrison’s performance as PM, with 83% approval (on par with 84% approval last month), compared to just 11% of Coalition voters who disapprove.
- The main drivers of the decline in the PMs approval rating are men (approval now at 47%, down from 53% in October), Queensland residents (40%, down from 47% last month) and residents aged 18-34 (41%, down from 50% last month).
Essential Report
Two Party Preferred: 14 May 2019
Labor
51.5%-0.5
Coalition
48.5%+0.5
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