The Essential Report Archive Read the latest report

  • Feb, 2013

    , , , , , ,

    Federal politics – voting intention

    Q. If a Federal Election was held today to which party will you probably give your first preference vote? If not sure, which party are you currently leaning toward?

    Q. If don’t know -Well which party are you currently leaning to?

    Sample size = 1,882 respondents

    First preference/leaning to

    Election

    21 Aug 10

    4 weeks ago

    21/1/13

    2 weeks ago

    5/2/13

    Last week

    11/2/13

    This week

    18/2/13

    Liberal

    44%

    45%

    45%

    44%

    National

    4%

    3%

    3%

    3%

    Total Lib/Nat

    43.6%

    48%

    48%

    48%

    47%

    Labor

    38.0%

    36%

    34%

    34%

    35%

    Greens

    11.8%

    9%

    10%

    9%

    9%

    Other/Independent

    6.6%

    8%

    8%

    9%

    8%

     

    2PP

    Election

    21 Aug 10

    4 weeks ago

    2 weeks ago

    Last week

     

    This week

    Total Lib/Nat

    49.9%

    54%

    54%

    55%

    54%

    Labor

    50.1%

    46%

    46%

    45%

    46%

    NB.  The data in the above tables comprise 2-week averages derived from the first preference/leaning to voting questions.  Respondents who select ‘don’t know’ are not included in the results.  The two-party preferred estimate is calculated by distributing the votes of the other parties according to their preferences at the 2010 election. These estimates have a confidence interval of approx. plus or minus 2-3%.

  • Feb, 2013

    , , , , , , , , , ,

    Drugs in sport

    Q. How much of a problem do you think taking performance enhancing drugs is in these sports?

     

    A major problem

    A moderate  problem

    A minor problem

    Not a problem at all

    Don’t know

    AFL football

    39%

    23%

    18%

    5%

    16%

    NRL rugby league

    37%

    26%

    16%

    4%

    18%

    Cricket

    16%

    9%

    26%

    25%

    23%

    Tennis

    18%

    12%

    24%

    22%

    24%

    Soccer

    22%

    19%

    23%

    10%

    26%

    Basketball

    18%

    18%

    22%

    14%

    30%

    Cycling

    56%

    20%

    8%

    3%

    14%

    Athletics

    41%

    26%

    11%

    4%

    17%

    56% of respondents think taking performance enhancing drugs is a major problem in cycling, 41% think it is a major problem in athletics, 39% in AFL football and 37% in NRL rugby league.

    38% of AFL football followers think it is a major problem in their sport and 26% of NRL followers think it is a major problem in their sport. 40% of AFL followers think it is a major problem in NRL.

    46% of Victorian respondents think performance enhancing drugs is a major problem in the AFL.

  • Feb, 2013

    , , , , , , , , , ,

    Betting on sport

    Q. How much of a problem do you think betting on games and results is in these sports?

     

    A major problem

    A moderate  problem

    A minor problem

    Not a problem at all

    Don’t know

    AFL football

    34%

    22%

    14%

    10%

    19%

    NRL rugby league

    33%

    22%

    15%

    11%

    20%

    Cricket

    30%

    22%

    17%

    10%

    20%

    Tennis

    21%

    18%

    20%

    18%

    23%

    Soccer

    30%

    22%

    15%

    11%

    23%

    Basketball

    23%

    18%

    19%

    15%

    25%

    Cycling

    25%

    18%

    17%

    14%

    25%

    Athletics

    23%

    18%

    20%

    14%

    25%

    34% of respondents think betting is a major problem in AFL football, 33% think it is a major problem in NRL, 30% in soccer and 30% in cricket.

    36% of those who mostly follow cricket think it is a major problem in their sport, compared to 32% of AFL followers and 28% of NRL followers.

  • Feb, 2013

    , , ,

    Personal actions

    Q. If players in a sporting team you supported were found to have taken performance enhancing drugs would you –

     

    Total

    AFL

    NRL

    Cricket

    Soccer

    Basket
    -ball

    Attend fewer games

    27%

    26%

    25%

    33%

    24%

    28%

    Stop attending games altogether

    19%

    16%

    20%

    23%

    20%

    21%

    Watch fewer games on TV

    28%

    23%

    27%

    34%

    23%

    33%

    Stop watching games on TV altogether

    15%

    9%

    16%

    18%

    17%

    26%

    Change my support to another team

    18%

    7%

    18%

    19%

    22%

    23%

    26% of AFL followers said if players in their team were found to have taken performance enhancing drugs they would attend fewer games and 23% said they would watch fewer games on TV. However, only 9% said they would stop watching games on TV altogether and only 7% said they would change their support to another team.

    NRL (18%) and soccer (22%) followers were more likely to change their support to another team.

  • Feb, 2013

    , , , , ,

    Approval of actions

    Q. Would you approve or disapprove of the following actions –

     

    Total approve

    Total disapprove

    Strongly approve

    Approve

    Disapprove

    Strongly disapprove

    Don’t know

    Ban sports betting

    52%

    30%

    27%

    25%

    24%

    6%

    17%

    Setting up a sports integrity commission with strong powers

    76%

    7%

    40%

    36%

    6%

    1%

    17%

    Ban teams whose players have been found guilty of using performance enhancing drugs

    54%

    28%

    28%

    26%

    21%

    7%

    18%

    Accept that prohibition won’t work and allow approved performance enhancing drugs in sport

    12%

    71%

    5%

    7%

    19%

    52%

    16%

    76% approve setting up a sports integrity commission with strong powers. 82% of AFL followers and 78% of NRL followers approved.

    54% approve banning teams whose players have been found guilty of using performance enhancing drugs – including 49% of AFL followers and 50% of NRL followers.

    52% approve of banning sports betting – including 52% of AFL followers and 47% of NRL followers. Those most in favour of banning sports betting were followers of cricket (57%) and tennis (63%).

    Only 12% believed we should accept that prohibition won’t work and allow approved performance enhancing drugs in sport. This was strongly rejected by all sports followers – 65% of AFL followers and 71% of NRL followers disapproved.

  • Feb, 2013

    , , , ,

    Development of northern Australia

    Q. The Liberal Party was reported to be considering a plan to increase the population of the northern regions of Australia by relocating public service jobs, increasing industry and food production and funding new projects in the north. Do you approve or disapprove of this idea?

     

    Total

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    Total approve

    56%

    46%

    73%

    42%

    Total disapprove

    22%

    32%

    12%

    38%

    Strongly approve

    16%

    10%

    24%

    7%

    Approve

    40%

    36%

    49%

    35%

    Disapprove

    15%

    19%

    10%

    27%

    Strongly disapprove

    7%

    13%

    2%

    11%

    Don’t know

    21%

    23%

    15%

    20%

    56% said they approved on a plan to increase the population of the northern regions of Australia by relocating public service jobs, increasing industry and food production and funding new projects in the north and 22% disapproved.

    73% of Liberal/National voters approved compared to 46% of Labor voters and 42% of Greens voters.

Error: