New poll: Pessimism prevails as Aussies ponder the future

A poll of 20 key marginal seats signals an ominous sign for the Albanese Government ahead of a coming election. See how your state fares.

A majority of Australians think the country is heading in the wrong direction, with voters in critical must-win seats in Queensland, NSW and Victoria the most pessimistic.

In an ominous sign for the Albanese Government ahead of a coming election, 55 per cent of Australians are gloomy about where the country is headed, while 60 per cent of voters in key regional seats say it is going backwards.

The findings are from an exclusive RedBridge-Accent Research rolling tracking poll of 20 key marginal seats which News Corp Australia is running between now and election day.

For decades pollsters around the world have used questions about the ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ direction about a country as a way of testing voters’ appetite for change.

In a result that will have Labor campaign strategists concerned, the poll found that only 27 per cent of voters in the selected marginal seats said they thought Australia is heading in the right direction.

Coalition Opposition leader Peter Dutton on the ground in Ingham today with Queensland Premier David Crisafulli and Senator Susan McDonald. They visited the Hinchinbrook council disaster centre, a local business and a cane farm.

Voters under a great deal of financial stress were the most pessimistic, with 70 per cent saying the country was going the wrong way. But even 48 per cent of voters who say they are under little stress agree with them.

RedBridge director Kos Samaras said the pessimism in the community was attributable to interest rate hikes which have hit voters in marginal seats.

Labor supporters are far more likely to be optimistic than other voters, with 56 per cent of them upbeat about the direction of the country compared to the 18 per cent of Greens and 14 per cent of Coalition voters who say they are optimistic.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton addresses media in the Northern Territory on the weekend, committing $368,000 from a revitalised Safer Communities Fund to fast-track public lighting upgrades in Palmerston. Picture: Fia Walsh.

The least optimistic voters in the key marginal seats are supporters of minor parties including Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party and Pauline Hanson’s One Nation, three-quarters of whom were pessimistic, with only 15 per cent optimistic and 10 per cent undecided.

At 63 per cent, Queenslanders were the most likely to say they were unhappy with the country’s direction compared to 55 per cent of voters in the NSW seats and 57 per cent of Victorians.

Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese was in Wollongong on the weekend and toured the BlueScope Steelworks at Port Kembla. Picture: PMO via NewsWire

These three states were markedly less upbeat than voters in the other states who between them were more closely split between optimism and pessimism.

The survey has also found there is a big gender split on the question with men at 59 per cent more likely to say the country is going the wrong way compared to 51 per cent of women.

There are big differences too between employees, with only 19 per cent of traditionally Labor-voting blue collar workers optimistic, compared to 32 per cent of professionals, managers, sales, services and clerical staff.

The closer Australians get to retirement the more pessimistic they become, for while 57 per cent of 50-64 year olds think the country is going backwards, this figure jumps to 63 per cent for the over 65s.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese held a press conference in Wollongong on the weekend with Carol Berry candidate for Whitlam. Picture: PMO via NewsWire

Even young people, whom the government has targeted with student debt forgiveness, are unhappy, with 47 per cent of 18-34 year olds saying Australia is going the wrong way compared to 28 per cent who are upbeat.

Redbridge director Kos Samras said Labor would be hoping this week’s mooted RBA interest rate would lighten the nation’s mood.

“They will be counting on an interest-rate cut to boost their prospects, but if they took a closer look at Australians’ bank accounts, they may be disappointed,” he said.

“Nearly two years of financial strain have wiped out years of wealth accumulation for millions, particularly in outer urban and regional electorates.

“A single rate cut might lift Labor’s morale, but it’s unlikely to ease the deeper economic pain felt by the voters that will determine the upcoming election.”

Originally published as New poll: Pessimism prevails as Aussies ponder the future