afghanistan, Afghanistan involvement, Julia Gillard, Labor Party, Liberal Party, tony abbott, war in Afghanistan
Q. Which leader and party would you trust most to handle our involvement in the war in Afghanistan?
| Julia Gillard and the Labor Party | 33% |
| Tony Abbott and the Liberal Party | 32% |
| Bob Brown and the Greens | 7% |
| Don’t know | 28% |
Respondents were split over which leader and party they would trust most to handle our involvement in the war in Afghanistan. 33% prefer Julia Gillard and the Labor Party and 32% prefer Tony Abbott and the Liberal Party.
Those aged 55+ prefer the Liberal Party over the Labor Party 40% to 34%.
afghanistan, ALP, EMC, Essential Report, peter lewis, The Drum, Troops in Afghanistan, war in Afghanistan
First Published on The Drum 12/10/2010
Attempting to manage public confidence in the war in Afghanistan, the Labor Party is exposing its left flank in a way that calls into question three decades of political centrism.
These are challenging times for the ALP, with minority control in Canberra, hand-wringing election post mortems and flagging state administrations around the nation. A key theme appears to be ‘Labor has lost its way’.
But what is the ALP way? Since at least the Whitlam era, Labor orthodoxy has been that the occupation of the centre ground was a precondition for electoral success. Careers were built on the tough work of shifting Labor from ideological dogma to more pragmatic policies.
afghanistan, Afghanistan War, Australian Military, Australian troops, Troops in Afghanistan
Q. Thinking about the Australian troops in Afghanistan, do you think Australia should –
| Total
11 Oct 10 |
Labor | Liberal | Greens | 21 June 10 | March 09 | ||
| Increase the number of troops in Afghanistan | 13% | 10% | 20% | 6% | 7% | 14% | |
| Keep the same number of troops in Afghanistan | 24% | 26% | 29% | 14% | 24% | 24% | |
| Withdraw our troops from Afghanistan | 49% | 50% | 41% | 73% | 61% | 50% | |
| Don’t know | 14% | 14% | 10% | 7% | 8% | 12% |
49% of respondents believe Australia should withdraw our troops from Afghanistan, 24% think we should keep the same number and 13% think the numbers should be increased.
Support for withdrawal has dropped from the 61% recorded in June but is similar to the result recorded in March last year.
50% of Labor voters and 73% of Greens voters support withdrawal but 49% of Liberal/National voters favour maintaining or increasing the number of troops.
afghanistan, Afghanistan War, Al Qaeda, Australian involvement in Afghanistan, Australian Military
Q. Here are some reasons which are given for continuing to have Australian involvement in the war in Afghanistan. For each one could you tell me whether you think that is a very good reason, a fairly good reason, or not really a good reason at all.
| Very good reason | Fairly good reason | Not a good reason at all | Don’t know | |
| To fight Al Qaeda and terrorism | 34% | 33% | 25% | 8% |
| To maintain our strategic alliance with the US | 11% | 36% | 45% | 8% |
| To build democracy in Afghanistan | 30% | 35% | 25% | 9% |
| To further human rights in Afghanistan, such as the rights of women | 43% | 32% | 17% | 8% |
| Total very good reason | Labor | Liberal | Greens | |
| To fight Al Qaeda and terrorism | 34% | 35% | 44% | 11% |
| To maintain our strategic alliance with the US | 11% | 12% | 14% | 7% |
| To build democracy in Afghanistan | 30% | 34% | 34% | 16% |
| To further human rights in Afghanistan, such as the rights of women | 43% | 48% | 45% | 38% |
Respondents believe the best reasons for continuing Australian involvement in Afghanistan are to further human rights such as the rights of women (43%) and to fight Al Qaeda and terrorism (34%).
Liberal/National voters are more inclined to nominate fighting Al Qaeda and terrorism (44%) while Labor voters are more likely to think furthering human rights in Afghanistan, such as the rights of women (48%) is a very good reason.
afghanistan, andrew bunn, emerson, Essential Report
When it comes to research, online polling has an image problem. Federal Labor minister Craig Emerson was at it again this morning, saying the Essential Report was not a representative sample.
Part of the problem with online polling, is that it is often confused with the self-selecting web-based surveys that many news sites run – these, of course, are not scientific.
But evidence is emerging that professionally sourced and managed online panels are every bit as representative and accurate as the traditional method of telephone polling.
It has been estimated that more than 50% of all market and social research in Australia is conducted on line – it is relied on by major companies (and Governments!!) to make key decisions about their products, services, marketing. If it wasn’t reliable and valid they would be putting their businesses at considerable risk. Comments »
Q. Thinking about the Australian troops in Afghanistan, do you think Australia should –
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | March 09 | ||
| Increase the number of troops in Afghanistan | 7% | 7% | 7% | 14% | |
| Keep the same number of troops in Afghanistan | 24% | 25% | 32% | 24% | |
| Withdraw our troops from Afghanistan | 61% | 61% | 55% | 50% | |
| Don’t know | 8% | 7% | 6% | 12% |
61% of respondents think Australia should withdraw our troops from Afghanistan, 24% think we should keep the same number and 7% think we should increase numbers. Support for withdrawal of troops has increased by 11% since this question was asked in March last year.
There was majority support for withdrawal of troops across all demographic groups and voter types. 55% of Liberal/National voters, 61% of Labor voters and 75% of Greens voters support withdrawal of Australia’s troops. Comments »
afghanistan, asylum, asylum seekers, Sri Lanka
Q. Do you approve or disapprove of the Federal Government’s recent decision to suspend processing of any refugee claims from Sri Lanka and Afghanistan?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Liberal/National | Vote Greens | |
| Total approve | 69% | 70% | 80% | 47% |
| Total disapprove | 15% | 16% | 11% | 42% |
| Strongly approve | 39% | 40% | 43% | 23% |
| Approve | 30% | 30% | 37% | 24% |
| Disapprove | 10% | 13% | 9% | 17% |
| Strongly disapprove | 5% | 3% | 2% | 25% |
| Don’t know | 15% | 15% | 9% | 10% |
69% approve the Federal Government’s recent decision to suspend processing of any refugee claims from Sri Lanka and Afghanistan and 15% disapprove.
By voting intention, 70% of Labor voters approve and 80% of Liberal/National voters approve. Greens voters are split – 47% approve and 42% disapprove. Comments »