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Treatment of asylum seekers

14 Apr 2015

Q. Which of the following comes is closest to your view? 

   Total    Vote Labor Vote Lib/Nat Vote Greens Vote other   Jan 2014
All asylum seekers arriving in Australia by boat should be sent back to the country they came from even if they are genuine refugees 21% 21% 27% 4% 16% 26%
Asylum seekers arriving by boat should be allowed to stay in Australia if they are found to be genuine refugees 49% 56% 43% 72% 42% 46%
Asylum seekers arriving by boat should not be allowed to stay in Australia but be resettled in another country if they are found to be genuine refugees 16% 12% 20% 8% 21% 15%
All asylum seekers arriving in Australia by boat should be allowed to stay in Australia whether they are genuine refugees or not 3% 3% 3% 6% 9% 3%
Don’t know 11% 8% 7% 11% 11% 10%

49% (up 3% since January 2014) think that asylum seekers arriving by boat should be allowed to stay in Australia if they are found to be genuine refugees and 21% (down 5%) think all asylum seekers arriving in Australia by boat should be sent back to the country they came from even if they are genuine refugees. Only 16% think asylum seekers arriving by boat should not be allowed to stay in Australia but be resettled in another country if they are found to be genuine refugees.

Those more likely to think they should be sent back to the country they came from were Liberal/National voters (27%) and aged 55+ (25%).

Those more likely to think they should be allowed to stay in Australia if they are found to be genuine refugees were Greens voters (72%), Labor voters (56%) and those with university education (56%).

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