climate change, economic instability, Threat of terrorism, threats to the world
Q. Which of the following international issues represents the biggest threat to the world? And which is the second biggest threat?
| Total | Biggest threat | Second biggest threat | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | Vote Other | ||
| Terrorism | 61% | 43% | 18% | 61% | 71% | 35% | 57% | |
| Global economic instability | 51% | 23% | 28% | 50% | 52% | 50% | 54% | |
| Climate change | 38% | 21% | 17% | 47% | 21% | 68% | 36% | |
| Fighting in the Middle East | 23% | 6% | 17% | 17% | 27% | 21% | 29% | |
| Chinese economic slowdown | 12% | 4% | 8% | 12% | 13% | 4% | 12% | |
| Tensions between Russia and its neighbours | 8% | 2% | 6% | 6% | 10% | 8% | 9% | |
| Tensions between China and its neighbours | 7% | 1% | 6% | 6% | 6% | 14% | 3% |
61% think that terrorism is one of the two biggest threats to the world and 51% nominated global economic instability as one of the biggest threats.
38% think climate change is one of the two biggest threats.
Labor and Liberal/National voters nominated terrorism and global economic instability as the biggest threats while Greens voters were more likely to think climate change was a bigger threat (68%). Only 21% of Liberal/National voters think climate change is one of the two biggest threats.
climate change, economic instability, Threat of terrorism, threats to Australia
Q. Which of the following international issues represents the biggest threat to Australia? And which is the second biggest threat?
| Total | Biggest threat | Second biggest threat | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | Vote Other | ||
| Global economic instability | 55% | 25% | 30% | 51% | 58% | 59% | 55% | |
| Terrorism | 47% | 26% | 21% | 48% | 54% | 21% | 46% | |
| Climate change | 38% | 22% | 16% | 47% | 18% | 72% | 31% | |
| Chinese economic slowdown | 36% | 20% | 16% | 31% | 44% | 27% | 36% | |
| Fighting in the Middle East | 12% | 3% | 9% | 10% | 13% | 9% | 15% | |
| Tensions between China and its neighbours | 9% | 4% | 5% | 11% | 8% | 8% | 13% | |
| Tensions between Russia and its neighbours | 3% | 1% | 2% | 3% | 4% | 3% | 5% |
55% think that global economic instability is one of the two biggest threats to Australia and 47% nominated terrorism as one of the biggest threats.
38% think climate change is one of the two biggest threats and 36% nominated the Chinese economic slowdown.
Labor voters think global economic instability, terrorism and climate change represent similar levels of threat while Liberal/National voters were more likely to think the Chinese economic slowdown was a threat. Only 18% of Liberal/National voters thought climate change was one of the two biggest threats to Australia.
Q. Over the last few years, do you think that the threat of terrorism happening in Australia has increased, decreased or stayed much the same?
|
Total
|
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote other |
|
Sep 2014 |
|
| Total increased |
75% |
74% |
84% |
54% |
83% |
57% |
||
| Total decreased |
2% |
3% |
2% |
3% |
1% |
6% |
||
| Increased a lot |
39% |
37% |
46% |
18% |
52% |
22% |
||
| Increased a little |
36% |
37% |
38% |
36% |
31% |
35% |
||
| Stayed about the same |
20% |
21% |
14% |
39% |
13% |
33% |
||
| Decreased a little |
1% |
2% |
1% |
1% |
– |
3% |
||
| Decreased a lot |
1% |
1% |
1% |
2% |
1% |
3% |
||
| Don’t know |
4% |
1% |
1% |
5% |
3% |
4% |
75% think that the threat of terrorism happening in Australia has increased – up from 57% recorded in September. 20% (down 13%) think it has stayed about the same and 2% (down 4%) think it has decreased.
Those most likely to think it has increased were Liberal/National voters (84%) and those aged 55+ (85%).
Q. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Prime Minister Tony Abbott is handling the threat of terrorism in Australia?
|
Total |
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote other |
|
| Total approve |
46% |
24% |
81% |
24% |
40% |
|
| Total disapprove |
33% |
53% |
8% |
55% |
35% |
|
| Strongly approve |
13% |
4% |
28% |
6% |
12% |
|
| Approve |
33% |
20% |
53% |
18% |
28% |
|
| Disapprove |
18% |
30% |
7% |
18% |
17% |
|
| Strongly disapprove |
15% |
23% |
1% |
37% |
18% |
|
| Don’t know |
22% |
23% |
10% |
20% |
25% |
46% approve of the way the Prime Minister Tony Abbott is handling the threat of terrorism in Australia and 33% disapprove.
81% of Liberal/National voters approve while a majority of Labor voters (53%) and Greens voters (55%) disapprove.
Australia safe from terrorism, Threat of terrorism
Q. Do you think that sending military forces to Iraq will make Australia more or less safe from the threat of terrorism?
|
Total |
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote other |
|
| Total more safe |
15% |
11% |
25% |
5% |
11% |
|
| Total less safe |
51% |
54% |
41% |
73% |
58% |
|
| A lot more safe |
5% |
4% |
8% |
2% |
3% |
|
| A little more safe |
10% |
7% |
17% |
3% |
8% |
|
| Make no difference |
25% |
27% |
28% |
18% |
23% |
|
| A little less safe |
27% |
28% |
25% |
41% |
22% |
|
| A lot less safe |
24% |
26% |
16% |
32% |
36% |
|
| Don’t know |
9% |
7% |
6% |
3% |
8% |
Only 15% think that sending military forces to Iraq will make Australia more safe from the threat of terrorism and 51% think it will make Australia less safe.
Those most likely to think it will make Australia less safe from the threat of terrorism were Greens voters (73%), other party voters (58%) and women (57%)
Q. Over the last few years, do you think that the threat of terrorism happening in Australia has increased, decreased or stayed much the same?
|
|
Total
|
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote other |
| Total increased |
57% |
56% |
69% |
25% |
55% |
|
| Total decreased |
6% |
5% |
3% |
27% |
6% |
|
| Increased a lot |
22% |
18% |
30% |
8% |
24% |
|
| Increased a little |
35% |
38% |
39% |
17% |
31% |
|
| Stayed about the same |
33% |
38% |
26% |
45% |
33% |
|
| Decreased a little |
3% |
4% |
2% |
2% |
4% |
|
| Decreased a lot |
3% |
1% |
1% |
25% |
2% |
|
| Don’t know |
4% |
2% |
2% |
4% |
5% |
57% think that the threat of terrorism happening in Australia has increased, 33% think it has stayed about the same and 6% think it has decreased.
Those most likely to think it has increased were Liberal/National voters (69%), women (62%) and those aged 55+ (77%).