Griffith University Constitutional Values Survey Oct 2014 Results 1 1

EMBARGOED UNTIL PUBLIC RELEASE – 10 OCT 2014













Australian

Constitutional Values
October 2014
Survey 2014

Results Release 1

Prepared for and by
Professor A J Brown
Centre for Governance & Public Policy
Griffith University
Nathan QLD 4111

Tel (07) 3735 3986
Mobile 0414 782 331
A.J [email protected]
www.griffith.edu.au/federalism
Level 5
Newspoll House
407 Elizabeth Street
Surry Hills NSW 2010
Tel (02) 9921 1000
Fax (02) 9212 5880
[email protected]
___________________________
Level 3
126 Wellington Parade
East Melbourne VIC 3002
Tel (03) 9416 4100
Fax (03) 9417 1800
[email protected]
___________________________
27 Torrens Street
Braddon ACT 2612
Tel (02) 6249 8706
Fax (02) 6247 4359
[email protected]

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EMBARGOED UNTIL PUBLIC RELEASE – 10 OCT 2014


CONTENTS

Methodology & funding 2
Australians’ satisfaction with democracy 3
Australians’ satisfaction with three-levelled system 4
Trust & confidence in levels of government 7
Intergovernmental collaboration 9
Federal–state finance 10
Subsidiarity 11



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EMBARGOED UNTIL PUBLIC RELEASE – 10 OCT 2014
METHODOLOGY & FUNDING
Sample
 Conducted nationally in Australia by Newspoll Limited
 Respondents: 1,201 (2008), 1,100 (2010), 1,219 (2012), 1,204 (2014); Australian citizens and permanent residents aged 18 years and over.
 Respondents were selected via a stratified random sample process which included:
- a quota being set for each capital city and non-capital city area, and within each of these areas, a quota being set for groups
of statistical divisions or subdivisions;
- random selection of household telephone numbers using random digit dialling (RDD);
- random selection of an individual in each household by a "last birthday" screening question.

Interviewing
 Conducted by telephone over the period of 1-8 May 2008, 1-14 March 2010, 24 September–9 October 2012, 19 August-2 September 2014
 Conducted by fully trained and personally briefed interviewers.
 To ensure the sample included those people who tend to spend a lot of time away from home, a system of call backs and appointments
was incorporated.

Weighting
 To reflect the population distribution, results were post-weighted to:
- Australian Bureau of Statistics data on age, highest level of schooling completed, sex and area;
- federal voting intention (using the previous two Newspoll voting intention surveys) (2008, 2014).
 Percentages shown are based on these weighted figures.

Funding
 2008, 2010 -- Australian Research Council, Discovery Project DP0666833, led by Griffith University, with Charles Sturt University,
University of New England and the University of Melbourne.
 2012 – Griffith University (Centre for Governance & Public Policy, and Griffith Law School) and the University of New South Wales
(Gilbert+Tobin Centre of Public Law).
 2014 – Australian Research Council, Discovery Project DP140102682, led by Griffith University, with University of Sydney, University of New South
Wales, Australian National University, Lafayette College and University of Texas.

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EMBARGOED UNTIL PUBLIC RELEASE – 10 OCT 2014
Australians’ satisfaction with democracy
How well do you think democracy works in Australia today?

27.7%
26.5%
20.2% 20.6%
53.1% 55.7%
52.9%
48.8%
12.7%
12.1%
17.3%
21.6%
3.7% 2.6%
6.5%
7.0%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008 (n= 1201) 2010 (n= 1100) 2012 (n= 1219) 2014 (n= 1204)
Neither/Don't Know
Not Well at All
Not Very Well
Quite Well
Very Well
80.8
16.4
82.3
14.7
73.1
23.8
69.4
28.6

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EMBARGOED UNTIL PUBLIC RELEASE – 10 OCT 2014

Australians’ satisfaction with three-levelled system (in general)
Australia has a system of government with three main levels – there’s the federal government, state government,
and local government, that is, local councils. Overall, how well would you say this system of government works…?

14.6%
10.0% 10.8%
13.1%
53.2%
53.8%
50.7%
49.9%
23.7%
28.5%
29.2%
27.3%
6.5%
6.5% 8.8%
8.4%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008 (n= 1201) 2010 (n= 1100) 2012 (n= 1219) 2014 (n= 1204)
Neither/Don't Know
Not Well at All
Not Very Well
Quite Well
Very Well
67.8
30.3
63.8
35.0
61.5
38.0
63.0
35.7

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EMBARGOED UNTIL PUBLIC RELEASE – 10 OCT 2014

Overall attitudes to federal system

2008 2010 2012 2014
The current system of government, with three
main levels, does not work well
(B3)
30% 35% 38% 36%
The current system with three main levels, works
well – but system does not deliver legislative
diversity, innovation, or collaboration well
(E2)
39% 40% 38% 36%
Did not respond negatively to above, but key
federal principle (legislative diversity, ability to
innovate, division of power, or ability to elect
different parties at different levels) is
undesirable
(E1)
17% 15% 13% 12%
Total respondents with negative view of the
present system, in practice or principle
86% 90% 89% 84%


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Satisfaction with three-levelled system by state
Australia has a system of government with three main levels – there’s the federal government, state government,
and local government, that is, local councils. Overall, how well would you say this system of government works…?

% 2008 2010 2012 2014
(n=1204)

NSW
(n=309)

Vic
(n=242)

Qld
(n=220)

SA
(n=160)

WA
(n=181)

Tas
(n=52)

ACT
(n=20)

NT
(n=20)
Not at all
well
6.5 6.5 8.8 8.4 10.8 9.9 5.8 7.6 5.0 6.5 0.0 8.2
Not very
well
23.7 28.5 29.2 27.3 31.1 26.3 27.3 27.8 17.2 45.0 20.5 11.8
Subtotal 30.3 35.0 38.0 35.7 41.9 36.2 33.1 35.4 22.2 51.5 20.5 20.0
Quite
well
53.2 53.8 50.7 49.9 46.1 46.6 50.6 51.8 64.2 40.6 70.5 63.4
Very
well
14.6 10.0 10.8 13.1 12.0 14.3 15.1 12.2 12.3 5.9 9.0 16.7
Subtotal 67.8 63.8 61.5 63.0 58.1 60.9 65.7 64.0 76.5 46.5 79.5 80.1
Change 2012-2014 +1.5 +3.7 -9.8 +8.6 -2.6 +8.3 -14.0 +36.9 +8.9



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Trust & confidence in levels of government

2008: How would you rate the performance of each of the following levels of government? (Very poor–good)
2012, 2014: Overall, how much trust and confidence do you have in each of the following levels of government
to do a good job in carrying out its responsibilities? (None at all – A great deal)

17.2%
8.7% 8.9% 8.0%
6.5% 5.6%
11.4% 11.6% 11.1%
64.4%
46.9%
43.6%
48.9%
46.9% 48.9%
45.6%
46.5% 47.8%
12.3%
29.7%
33.1%
28.5%
33.1%
32.7%
25.0%
26.4%
28.2%
3.5%
13.6% 13.4% 13.9% 12.3%
11.9%
14.7%
14.0%
11.3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008 (n= 1201) 2012 (n= 1219) 2014 (n= 1204) 2008 (n= 1201) 2012 (n= 1219) 2014 (n= 1204) 2008 (n= 1201) 2012 (n= 1219) 2014 (n= 1204)
Federal State Local
Very good/A great deal Quite good/A fair amount Quite poor/Not very much Very poor/none at all Don't Know
81.6
58.1
53.4
56.9
55.6 52.5
54.5 58.9
57.0

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EMBARGOED UNTIL PUBLIC RELEASE – 10 OCT 2014

Trust & confidence in levels – by state
Overall, how much trust and confidence do you have in each of the following levels of government to
do a good job in carrying out its responsibilities? (None at all – A great deal)

% 2012
(n=1219)
2014
(n=1204)

NSW
(n=309)

Vic
(n=242)

Qld
(n=220)

SA
(n=160)

WA
(n=181)

Tas
(n=52)

ACT
(n=20)

NT
(n=20)
A great deal /
fair amount



Federal level 55.6 52.5 50.0 51.1 52.6 51.5 56.9 56.7 73.8 79.6
Change 2012-2014 -3.1 -5.1 -14.5 +9.0 -5.8 +5.6 +3.2 -5.2 +22.7
State level 53.4 54.5 51.2 61.6 44.5 53.1 63.2 49.6 84.8 65.5
Change 2012-2014 +1.1 +1.8 +3.9 -2.8 -3.0 -5.1 +14.6 +23.1 +9.2
Local level 58.1 58.9 53.0 56.3 62.7 64.5 69.8 53.2 64.3 78.2
Change 2012-2014 +0.7 -3.2 +2.5 +0.8 +3.0 +12.2 -18.1 -17.6 +10.9



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EMBARGOED UNTIL PUBLIC RELEASE – 10 OCT 2014
Intergovernmental collaboration

A desirable or undesirable feature of a system of government with different levels?
'Different levels of government being able to collaborate on solutions to problems'

%
2008 2010 2012 2014
NSW Vic Qld SA WA Tas ACT NT
Desirable 91.5 92.1 92.2 92.7
91.3 92.5 93.6 90.7 95.2 93.2 100.0 99.4
Undesirable 6.5 5.7 5.3 5.8
7.7 5.9 4.3 6.7 3.3 6.0 0.0 0.6


If desirable, how well does our system of government currently do it?
(as a % of all respondents)
2008 2010 2012 2014 NSW Vic Qld SA WA Tas ACT NT
Not at all well 7.8 8.2 8.7 6.3 9.0 3.7 5.8 6.0 7.0 3.8 2.8 0.0
Not very well 40.0 43.7 47.2 43.6 43.5 43.2 45.1 44.2 41.9 38.6 59.4 30.4
Subtotal 47.8 51.9 55.9 49.9 52.5 46.9 50.9 50.2 48.9 42.4 62.2 30.4
Quite well 32.4 29.9 28.1 32.7 27.1 36.3 34.6 32.9 35.1 38.6 28.3 48.2
Very well 9.5 8.6 6.1 8.2 8.7 7.8 7.1 6.9 9.6 10.4 1.8 20.8
Subtotal 41.9 38.5 34.2
40.9
35.8 44.1 41.7 39.8 44.7 49.0 30.1 69.0
Change 2008-2014 -1.0 -0.3 +1.1 -1.7 -3.0 -7.1 +1.9 -20.6 +30.1
Change 2012-2014 +6.7 +4.8 +9.9 +8.8 +1.9 +2.9 +10.8 -9.3 +28.0


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EMBARGOED UNTIL PUBLIC RELEASE – 10 OCT 2014

Federal – state finance

How much do you agree or disagree with the following statement?

Money should be transferred from the richer parts of Australia to the poorer parts to ensure that
everyone can have similar levels of public services


2012 2014
NSW Vic Qld SA WA Tas
Disagree 18.8 19.9
19.1 15.4 24.9 17.0 25.1 15.2
Agree 79.1 77.5
76.7 84.1 74.3 79.2 69.8 79.7
Change 2012-2014 -1.6 -2.9 +2.5 -4.1 -0.5 -1.5 -9.3
Don’t know 2.1 2.6
4.2 0.5 0.8 3.8 5.0 5.1
100.0 100.0
100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0



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EMBARGOED UNTIL PUBLIC RELEASE – 10 OCT 2014
Subsidiarity

Thinking of the federal government as being the highest level of government, and state and then local as being
lower levels of government. Which one of the following comes closest to your view about where decisions
should be made?
2008 2010 2012 2014 NSW Vic Qld SA WA Tas ACT NT
It is better for
decisions to be made
at the lowest level of
government
competent to deal
with the decision
51.8 44.5 43.7 51.8 45.6 49.8 55.7 54.1 62.5 47.8 67.9 71.3
Change 2008-2014 0.0 -0.8 -8.2 -0.3 +9.7 +10.7 +5.3 +14.6 +8.9
Change 2012-2014 +8.1 +3.9 +13.1 +6.3 +6.4 +9.9 +1.3 +21.5 +33.3
It is better for as
many decisions as
possible to be made
at the higher levels of
government
41.1 49.0 45.0 40.0 45.5 42.1 36.0 37.7 30.2 42.8 28.2 26.8
Don’t know 7.2 6.5 11.3 8.2 9.0 8.1 8.3 8.2 7.4 9.4 3.9 1.9
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

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