Our latest qualitative poll was conducted late in April, and we have just finished completely analysing the results.

Voting intentions

Electors are divided and unenthusiastic this election. They are divided along lines of age, gender, income and nationalism versus cosmopolitanism. Unenthusiastic, because they are split and increasingly looking to minor parties.  Climate change is the major issue on the left, and has crossed into some groups on the right, although there is still strong resistance to it as a genuine problem from the more nationalist voters.

Liberal and nationalist voters continue to rate the economy, specifically taxation, as important issues, but other issues that were core seem to have faded, including debt, and border security. Immigration is there as a specific issue, but now it is more about congestion and infrastructure than security. This is an indication that issues are either not being canvassed anymore, or that they have transformed into different aspects of themselves.

Chaos and cuts seems to have cut through on the Labor side, while Labor’s reputation for big spending hurts it.

Shorten has picked-up his approval, and gets marks for being well-organised and having a unified team. Morrison has exceeded expectations as most respondents saw him as an accidental leader.

To download the report, click here.

Free speech and religious freedom

We also polled on free speech and the case of Israel Folau. Respondents were split on whether there was a need for free speech protections, and what free speech even means. On the right it means the right to speak your mind, and on the left the conditional right to participate in debate, but only if you are sensitive. We speculate that the winning side in society will want to define free speech in a way which minimises criticism of its views, and that the left is tending to win the culture wars at the moment, so is more conservative on what constitutes free speech.

More people supported Israel Folau’s position than opposed it, particularly amongst the minor party voters, excluding the Greens. At the same time only 24% of voters think we need increased protection for religious freedom while 39% thought we don’t.

To download the report click here.