Guardian Essential poll: Australians split on recognising Palestine, many believe it would be purely symbolic
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Version 0 of 4. Poll also finds majority of Australians support a four-day work week and want more regulation of AI Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast More Australians back recognising a Palestinian state than oppose the move, but nearly half of voters think it will be purely a symbolic move that neither helps nor harms the prospect of a two-state solution. But voters say they want more regulation on AI and are urging the Labor government to be ambitious in its reform agenda after the economic roundtable. In the latest Guardian Essential poll, a majority of Australians backed a four-day work week, with more than two-thirds saying the government should be open to new ideas, and only a quarter saying Labor’s ambition should be limited to the agenda it took to the election. The poll of 1,034 Australians last week found Australians were split on the government’s plans to recognise Palestinian statehood at the UN general assembly next month. The largest response was “don’t know”, at 37%; another 34% backed the move, and 29% were against. In a separate question, 30% of Australians agreed with the statement that recognition would contribute to international momentum toward a Gaza ceasefire and a two-state solution; 26% agreed with the statement that it was a victory for Hamas and would make it harder to achieve peace. Sign up: AU Breaking News email The highest response, 44%, agreed with the statement that the move was symbolic and would have no real impact. In announcing the recognition pledge on 11 August, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said pushing toward a two-state solution was “humanity’s best hope to break the cycle of violence in the Middle East and to bring an end to the conflict, suffering and starvation in Gaza”. “This is an opportunity to deliver self-determination for the people of Palestine in a way that isolates Hamas, disarms it, and drives it out of the region once and for all,” he said. Asked at a press conference if the move was purely symbolic, Albanese said recognising a Palestinian state – alongside the majority of world nations, and joining a recent push from France, the UK and Canada – was “a practical contribution towards building momentum”. Elsewhere in the poll, voters gave a tick of approval to Labor’s economic credentials, with the government opening up a large lead over the opposition when it came to managing the economy. On a question of which party voters trusted to manage the economy, Labor led the Coalition 41 to 28. On which party was more trusted to make the economy work for Australians, Labor led 42 to 25. A week after the economic reform roundtable, voters have indicated they want the government to be brave and open to reform. Sixty eight per cent of voters said it was good the government was open to new ideas. On a separate question, 27% of voters said the government shouldn’t accept any ideas it didn’t take to the election. And only 33% of voters were confident the summit would lead to positive changes. Australians also passed judgment on some of the top issues for discussion at the roundtable. More than half of Australians (54%) wanted more regulation of AI, amid a government dispute about whether the country needs a new act of parliament to govern the fast-growing technology. About 48% of people wanted more regulations on childcare, and 44% on social media. Despite business groups and other peak bodies raising constant concern about “over-regulation”, the majority of Australians did not agree, with 50% thinking Australia had the right balance of regulation, while 21% said there was not enough. Only 29% said Australia had too much regulation. About one in two Australians said they’d back a four-day work week, a plan advanced by the union movement at the roundtable, with only 24% against the idea. Approval rates for the two major party leaders, Albanese and the opposition leader, Sussan Ley, remained steady. Albanese remained in a net-positive, with 49% of voters backing his performance and 43% against, a slight dip from the 50-41 recorded in July. Ley remained at a small net-negative, with 35% approving and 37% disapproving, both numbers ticking up slightly from 33-35 in July. |