Australians divided on which political party to trust to manage our national security - new Ipsos study
Australians are evenly divided when asked who they trust most to manage our national security, with 32% saying that the Coalition would manage it better, while 27% nominated the ALP and 13% do not know, a new study from Ipsos found.
Key findings
- Support for the Coalition is largely driven by those aged 65+ who are significantly more likely than younger Australians to trust the Liberal Party most to manage national security (47%).
- A further 15% of Australians stated they did not trust any political party/candidate most to manage national security.
- Women were more than twice as likely than men to claim they do not trust any political party or candidate, or are uncertain, to manage national security (38% vs 17%).
As the Ipsos Issues Monitor, an ongoing quantitative survey of Australians about the issues most important to the nation, has also shown, the Coalition has consistently been seen as more capable to manage defence, foreign affairs, and terrorism issues than the ALP – and this support has not wavered even when Australians were most concerned about this issue (16% in 2015, 12% in 2016 and 14% in 2017).
In the latest Ipsos Issues Monitor for March 2022, 12% of Australians identified defence, foreign affairs, and terrorism as the most important issue facing Australia today. This is up five points from last month, the highest Ipsos has seen since 2017.
Ipsos Australia Director, Jessica Elgood said that this will be an important space to watch over the next few months as news of international national security, such as military expenditure and budgets, the Russia / Ukraine conflict, and the Solomon Islands draft security agreement with China, continue to take lead on our screens and as Australia heads into the next election.
“The Ipsos Issues Monitor, which has been running since 2010, shows that the Coalition has maintained a consistent lead over the ALP in their ability to manage defence, foreign affairs, and terrorism issues. We currently see global instability meaning that the importance of these issues to the Australian electorate is rising, yet a minority of Australians trust the major parties to manage these issues,” Elgood said.
“This suggests there is scope for making headway with voters for both the Coalition and the ALP if they are able to make a more convincing case that their party can provide leadership in relation to our security.”
TECHNICAL DETAILS
This research was conducted by Ipsos, on its own behalf. Approx. 1,000 interviews between March 9-13th 2022 among Australian adults aged 18+.
Estimated Resident Population (ERP) figures (June 2021 release) used for age, sex, location (GCSSA, and AEC Demographic Classification). Latest Census (2016) used for Household Income. This research is compliant with the Australian Polling Council Quality Mark standards: https://www.australianpollingcouncil.com/.
A long methodology disclosure statement is available here: https://www.ipsos.com/en-au/polling-methodology-disclosure-statements
