Polling shows support for the Voice is declining

By TILEAH DOBSON

Support for the Voice seems to be at a crossroads as two different polling, with one showing steady support whilst the other highlights support for the Voice declining.

Recent polling conducted by the research firm Resolve shows that out of the 1600 people polled, 49 per cent of them said they planned to vote Yes whilst 51 said they planned to vote No. 

These numbers come from a forced yes or no decision, whereas earlier polling showed 42 per cent in favour, 40 per cent against and 18 per cent left undecided.

This is a change from last September when support for the voice was at 64 per cent from the same pollsters. 

However, the latest polling from the Guardian Essential shows that support for the Voice remains high and steady, with 60 per cent out of the 1,123 pollsters maintaining a Yes.

No Campaign Gains Ground

And while the major opinion polls are still showing the Yes vote in the lead, concerns have been raised by voice supporters and senior Labor government figures about the strength of the Yes campaign as the No campaign continues to grow.

Voters who opposed the Voice in the latest polling had been given four potential reasons for why they were against it. 34 per cent had said that it would “divide Australians” while 33 per cent indicated that “it will give Indigenous Australians rights and privileges that other Australians don’t have.”

The remaining percentage of voters had felt that no difference would be made, with 26 per cent stating that “it won’t make a real difference to the lives of ordinary Indigenous Australians,” and 7 per cent said “Indigenous Australians don’t agree on it.”

The three states that show the strongest backing to the No campaign are Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia. Whereas in states like Victoria, Tasmania and NSW, the Yes remains the majority.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has continuously rejected the notion of amending the Voice proposal before the Senate is set to vote on the wording of the question in the referendum bill in a fortnight.

Yes Campaign Needs To Refocus

With the No campaign gaining strong momentum, one of authors of the Voice, Noel Pearson, has said that there needs to be a change in the Yes campaign. He especially emphasises on clarity to the argument and that they need to “refocus.”

“I think that message has got to be even more prominent than the Voice. The Voice is just the means; the core of the reform is recognition, and our argument is that the Voice is the best means” he said as reported by the Sydney Morning Herald.

“Give our people a Voice to the parliament, to the government, and you will give us the best means of recognition. But the main point here is that we achieve recognition. That was the original motivation.”

It’s currently projected that the referendum will take place between October and December 2023.