Older Australians turning against Coalition as One Nation support grows, polling shows
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Version 0 of 1. Support for Malcolm Turnbull among older Australians is on the decline as the popularity of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation grows, polling shows. Analysis of Newspolls between February and April for the Australian shows the Coalition holding 40% primary vote support among the 50-plus age group – down from almost 50% last July. One Nation’s strongest gains come from the 50-plus age bracket, climbing from 1.8% primary support at last year’s election to 11%, the figures published on Monday show. The poll, which surveyed 6,943 voters, shows Labor has failed to take advantage of the swings against the government. Support for Bill Shorten in the 50-plus group rose from 30.6 to 34% since the election but has not shifted among the other age groups. Support for the Coalition among voters aged from 35 to 49 declined but not as significantly as in the older age group, falling from 38.5% to 34%. And a record fall in support for the government was seen among voters aged from 18 to 34, falling from 32.4% to 30%. The largest shift away from the Coalition was seen in Queensland and Western Australia, where the Coalition has 47% of voter support compared with Labor’s 53% on a two-party-preferred basis. In Queensland support for One Nation increased from 5.5% at the last election to 16%. Nationally, support for One Nation doubled to 10% since late last year, equal to the primary vote maintained by the Greens. The net satisfaction rating, which records the difference between those who are satisfied and those who are dissatisfied with performance, fell from from -21 points to -26 points for Turnbull over the period from August to April. Shorten’s net satisfaction rating fell from -15 points to -24 in the same period, with much of that dissatisfaction coming from men. |