2014 Opinion Poll
Key Findings of the 2014 Opinion Poll
Awareness of the issue is significant and increasing
- 54% say they know a fair amount (41%) or a lot (13%) about the issue.
- This ‘aware’ population has grown steadily in the last five years – was only 38% in 2009.
- 43% say they don’t know much, with only 3% saying they know nothing.
Australian sympathy for Israel is decreasing
- More people are sympathetic towards the Palestinians than towards the Israelis: (27% for the Palestinians, 21% for the Israelis).
- There is a decrease in sympathy with Israelis, which is 6% lower than 2011.
- An increasing number of people say they have sympathies for neither (30% cf 25% in 2009; 21% in 2011)
- Strongest sympathies for Palestine are in Tasmania, Sydney, regional NSW and the ACT.
- Strongest sympathies for Israel are found in Tasmania, Brisbane, regional Victoria and Sydney.
- Those who have engaged with tertiary education are more likely to sympathise with Palestine than Israel.
- People sympathizing with Israel are most likely to be over 50 years old.
Australians support Palestine’s statehood bid
- 57% think Australia should vote yes in the UN to recognising Palestine (increase of 6% since 2011).
- Only 8% suggest we should vote against an independent Palestinian state (decrease of 7% since 2011).
Australians are more likely to think the Abbott Government favors Israel.
- 30% say that they think the Abbott Government favors Israel, just 3% think they favour Palestine.
- This figure has increased since 2009, where 20% indicated that the Government supports Israel.
- More people perceive the Abbott Government favors Israel than the previous surveys which asked the same question of a Labor Government (cf 25% in 2011; 20% in 2009).
Many Australians feel Israeli military action in Gaza was not justified
- 43% thought the military action was not justified.
- Only 25% thought the military action was justified (and 31% couldn’t say).
