Much has been written about why No won the Voice referendum but a lot of this is opinion
to provide some data Octopus Group & Accent Research ran a survey on how/why Australians voted incl their attitudes towards racial discrimination (pictured below)
this is what we found 🧵
Support for the Voice was highest among Greens and Labor voters, and lowest with Coalition voters. It was higher in inner metropolitan electorates, and lowest in rural and provincial areas
Protestants, those who didnt finish HS, own their home outright, and aged 65+ were the most likely to vote No (>70%).
The only demographics where 50%+ voted Yes were those with a university degree, who speak a language other than English at home, aged 18-34, and those who had a religion other than Catholic or Protestant Christianity
It was the claim by opponents that the Voice would be divisive that appears to have been a major driver of opposition to the Voice, selected by 41 per cent of those voting No as the most important reason for their opposition.
Nearly half of voters (47%) do not think that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders face more discrimination than White Australians.
Of these, only 20 per cent voted Yes for the voice.
Many No voters said they did not understand the proposal. While only 1/4 of those who opposed the Voice said a lack of understanding was one of their main reasons for voting No, only 1/3 of voters said they understood the Voice while 16% said they didn't understand it at all
The No campaign attempted to tie the Voice to political and media elites. Whether or not that was successful, very few voters believe most politicians can be trusted (17%), while journalists are more trusted, the absolute rate level is still low (26%)
And those with lower levels of trust were significantly less likely to support the Voice
Voters who relied on Sky News, the daily tabloid newspapers, the Australian, FTA TV news and AM radio were less likely to say Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders faced discrimination, and (along with those who relied on Facebook and FM radio for news), more likely to vote No
More than a quarter of voters report that each of free to air television news, Facebook, and the daily tabloid newspapers were important sources of news and information (58 per cent for free to air television)
This is not intended to be the final word on why Australians voted the way they did, but a first look post-referendum at why they voted for and against the Voice
A full copy of the report, along with additional details on methodology, full question wording and breakouts of all variables in the survey, can be found here:
The 2022 election result was stunning, and while it is true that there was a realignment at the electorate level, claims that the Coalition represents poorer voters and Labor 'elites' is massively exaggerated
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Economically advantaged voters --- those with higher incomes and who own their own homes --- are still more likely to support the Coalition. Those with lower incomes are more likely to vote for Labor, minor parties and independents