Australia Day: New poll finds 63 per cent of Australians support keeping Australia Day on January 26

A new poll has found Australians are still largely in support of keeping Australia Day on January 26, but public sentiment is slipping.

A surprise new poll has revealed the majority of Aussies want to keep Australia Day on January 26, the day which marks when the country was first colonised by the British Empire.

A survey of 1000 people conducted by the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) found 63 per cent of respondents agreed “Australia Day should be celebrated on January 26”.

Only 170 respondents believed the date should be changed (17 per cent), while 200 respondents had no opinion (20 per cent).

However, the annual poll showed support for January 26 was slipping.

Compared to 2019 results, which used the same sample size, support for the date had decreased by 12 per cent, and by seven per cent compared to 2020 results. However support was marginally up by 1 per cent compared to last year.

The survey found Australians still largely support the national day being celebrated on January 26. Picture: NCA NewsWire/ Gary Ramage

IPA’s executive director Daniel Wild said the survey found a “strong majority of Australians still support Australia Day being celebrated on 26 January”.

“Australia is the greatest nation on earth. Our way of life and freedoms are the envy of the world, and they must be cherished and celebrated,” said Mr Wild.

“Importantly, over the past five years fewer than one-in-five Australians have indicated they do not support Australia Day on January 26.

“Despite this, there is a continued, relentless campaign by inner-city elites, the political class, big business, and civil society to cancel our national day.”

Younger Australians aged 18 to 24 were more likely to be in favour of changing the date, with only 42 per cent stating Australia Day should stay as is. 30 per cent said Australia Day should be moved, while 28 per cent didn’t have an opinion either way.

Mr Wild said the generational gap was a reflection of the public discourse.

“It is concerning just 42 per cent of those aged 18-24 support Australia Day on January 26, this is a direct result of relentless indoctrination taking place at schools and universities,” he said.

In the next age group, people between 25 to 34, support for the status quo increased significantly to 61 per cent.

“You can hardly blame young Australians for having a negative view of their country given they are continually told it is not worth celebrating or fighting for,” Mr Wild added.

“We all have a role to play to let young Australians know, while not perfect, how great our nation and its story is.”

The survey results comes as the Woolworths Group, which includes Big W, announced it would not be stocking Australia Day merchandise due to declining sales.

The Woolworths Group has said it will not be stocking Australia Day themed products this year due to declining sales. Picture: NCA NewsWire/ Roy VanDerVegt

The move sparked calls from Opposition Leader Peter Dutton for Australians to boycott the supermarket giant over the decision.

German retailer Aldi have said it will also not stock Australia Day themed products this year, while Coles has maintained merchandise will continue being sold throughout the summer entertaining season.

While January 26 officially marks the anniversary of the First Fleet landing at Sydney Cove, and the establishment of the first penal colony by Sir Arthur Phillip.

However the day is also viewed as a day of mourning for Indigenous Australians, with the public holiday marked by several Invasion Day rallies.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has maintained he has no plans to change the date.