True Issues is a research tool to assist Australian businesses understand where their issues truly sit within the contemporary issues landscape. This poll was conducted as an online survey between 4 – 8 March 2022 among a representative national sample of 1,000 Australians aged 18+ years.
Amid ongoing media coverage around the rising cost of housing, groceries, petrol and energy, as well as potentially imminent interest rate increases, cost of living (65%, up from 59%) is Australians’ top prompted priority for Federal Government attention.
Calls for action on living costs have been building over the past year, after taking a backseat to health during the worst of the pandemic, and are now even stronger than pre-COVID-19 (65%, higher than 59% in February 2020).
However, as we continue to manage further COVID-19 outbreaks and emerging variants, hospitals, healthcare and ageing also remains a key concern for most Australians (61%, similar to 58% in November).
Around four in ten adults remain concerned about the environment and climate change (42%), the economy and finances (42%) and employment and wages (38%), and these continue to round out the top five most important (prompted) issues to Australians.
Sitting just outside this top five, and on the increase, is housing and interest rates (36%, up from 30% in November and ten points higher than in February 2021).
Majority of voters fairly certain or already decided on 2022 vote, with climate, health and economic concerns the key factors
With the ‘unofficial’ election campaign now well underway, more than four in ten voters are extremely (19%) or very interested (24%) in what is going on in Australian federal politics and the upcoming 2022 Federal Election.
The leading issues voters say will decide their 2022 election vote are largely in line with those mentioned as general concerns requiring Federal Government attention.
When asked to name up to three issues that will decide their vote at the upcoming 2022 federal election, almost one in four voters describe issues related to the environment and climate change (24%) and hospitals, healthcare and ageing (23%). (This compares with health’s ten-point lead over the environment and climate change as a general unprompted issue or concern).
Voters who are more interested in federal politics and the upcoming election are more likely to have a firmer view of which party they will vote for. The votes of those less engaged (only somewhat interested or not interested) are more likely to still be up for grabs.
This was an excerpt from our latest True Issues report, to read the full report, click the link below.
For further enquiries or to include your issue in the next wave, please get in touch.