Voters were focused on cost of living, not Voice, survey reveals
Eight in 10 voters wanted the government focused on the cost of living at referendum time, while just one in 10 said the same of the Voice, the latest True Issues survey reveals. A survey conducted by the True Issues (JWSWS) has revealed that a proposal by the Australian government was rejected by 61% to 39% nationally, and by every state and territory except the ACT. The Voice, the government's No. 1 concern among 22 voters, ranked 15th with only 11% citing it as an issue of concern. The government's performance on the Voice was downgraded from an index of 49 in June to 44 in October, with its rating for handling the cost of living at 22nd out of 22. The survey also revealed that when those surveyed were asked to nominate issues without being prompted, cost ofliving was at the top with 56% and the Voice's rating remained at 81%. The government is facing criticism for not doing enough to address rising petrol prices before the outbreak of hostilities in the Middle East.
Publicerad : 2 år sedan förbi Phillip Coorey i Politics
The proposal was soundly rejected by 61 per cent to 39 per cent nationally, and by every state and territory except the ACT.
Frustration among voters that the Voice was distracting the government from bread and butter issues was commonly cited as one of the reasons driving the No vote, even though the government was at pains to show it had not lost focus.
True Issues shows that since the previous survey conducted in June, the cost of living not only remained the No. 1 concern of voters among 22 prompted issues, but also levels of concern had increased.
It was cited by 81 per cent, up from 75 per cent in June.
By contrast, the Voice ranked 15th, with just 11 per cent citing it as an issue of concern. This was statistically unchanged from the 10 per cent rating it received in June.
However, the government’s performance on the Voice was downgraded from an index of 49 in June to 44 in October.
Its rating for handling the cost of living came 22nd out of 22, with a performance index of 27.
When those surveyed were asked to nominate issues without being prompted, the cost of living was again at the top with 56 per cent. That was up from 43 per cent in June and the first time in the survey’s history any unprompted issue had been cited by a majority. The Voice did not rate at all when voters were unprompted.
JWS director John Scales said a breakdown of the data showed cost of living concerns had spread well beyond those with lesser means.
“This is the leading concern across all age and income groups,” he notes in the survey summary.
“There is a sense that cost of living is now a challenge for most households, impacting not just low-income earners but also middle Australia.
“People express frustration at increases in essential expenses outstripping rises in their income, limiting their ability to maintain their standard of living and to save for their future.”
A typical comment from one of those surveyed was : “We are getting so much less for our money. Our shopping trolleys are half full, petrol is expensive, and all utilities are going up.”
Said another: “Inflation has got out of hand and I don’t think the government is doing enough to help.”
The government is sweating on the September quarter inflation number to be released on Wednesday amid speculation it might push the Reserve bank of Australia to lift the cash rate when it next meets on Melbourne Cup day.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers warned on Sunday that even before the outbreak of hostilities in the Middle East, Treasury estimated petrol prices rose by more than 7 per cent in the September quarter and would add about a quarter of a percentage point to inflation for the quarter.
When the government was newly elected, voters did not blame it for the cost of living spike, which began under the Morrison government and was fuelled by the war in Ukraine.
But the government, despite its $23 billion in various cost of living relief measures, is now being blamed by weary voters and the True Issues survey reflects this.
Overall, the government rates below average (50) with a performance index score of 48, down from 52 in June.
“This is similar to the Morrison government’s final score of 47 in March 2022, prior to its May election loss,” Mr Scales notes.
Ämnen: Voters