Poll of 500 Tasmanians finds opposition to greyhound racing industry overwhelming

A shockingly high percentage of Tasmanians oppose the state’s greyhound racing industry, according to a new survey conducted by leading polling firm EMRS.

Former Greens Leader Cassy O’Connor with Vesper and greyhound owners (L-R) Lesley Cave with Kiri, Sandy Bowden with Daisy, Fran Chambers with Paddy and Alice Giblin with Izzy outside Elwick Racecourse. Picture: Chris Kidd

New polling has revealed that more than 60 per cent of Tasmanians oppose greyhound racing, in what campaigners have described as the most comprehensive survey ever conducted in relation to the controversial industry.

EMRS was commissioned to undertake the survey by End Funding for Tasmanian Greyhound Racing by 2029.

It polled 500 adults across the state in mid-October. EMRS carried out the survey prior to news coverage about reigning Tasmanian greyhound trainer of the year, Anthony Bullock, being hit with a lifetime ban for using a pademelon tail as live bait.

The industry has recently been plagued by accusations of substandard animal welfare practices.

Greyhound racing in Tasmania. Picture: Supplied

According to the results, obtained exclusively by the Mercury, 62 per cent of respondents said they opposed greyhound racing, with almost half (46 per cent) opposing it strongly.

Just 11 per cent of people supported it, with only 3 per cent saying they supported it strongly.

Asked if they were in favour of the industry being subsidised by taxpayers, 15 per cent said they were in favour of it, while 45 per cent of respondents suggested they would consider changing their vote to support a party that promised to stop funding the industry.

Only 1 per cent of people surveyed had attended a greyhound race in the last 12 months.

The campaign to end government funding of greyhound racing is supported by organisations including RSPCA Tasmania, Dogs’ Homes of Tasmania, Brightside Farm Sanctuary and the Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds.

A spokesperson for the campaign said the polling was funded through “the joint efforts of our expanding community partnership”.

“The EMRS poll sample of 500 is robust. It provides a margin of error of 4.38 per cent at the 95 per cent confidence level,” the spokesperson said.

“By comparison, Newspoll samples about 1500 people to accurately gauge the opinions of a national population of 26 million.”

Owners of rehomed greyhounds protesting the greyhound racing industry under the banner of Greyhound Rehabilitation Enthusiasts Association Tasmania in Civic Square, Launceston, August 21, 2023. Picture: Alex Treacy

EMRS managing director Paul Jamrozik said the survey results were “statistically sound and provide informative insights at a statewide level”.

“To ensure representativeness, age and gender quotas were set within each of the three regions of Tasmania – South, North and North-East, North-West and West,” he said. “This approach helped to capture the opinions within the population and ensured a comprehensive understanding of attitudes towards the greyhound racing industry.”

According to the campaign spokesperson, the catalyst for the community push was the death of greyhound Tah Bernard two years ago. It led to a parliamentary e-petition in 2022, sponsored by former Greens leader Cassy O’Connor, calling for an end to taxpayer funding of the industry, which attracted 13,500 signatures.

Supporters say it broke the record for signatures on an e-petition to the state’s lower house.