Leading into the Federal Election countdown, a new consumer poll of everyday Australians has found deep concern about cost of living pressures and the capacity of our politicians to deliver on their promises.
Consumers have revealed a cost of living and trust divide.
The poll from The Media Precinct found there’s significant disquiet with the performance of politicians and little hope that election promises will be kept.
Cost of Living was identified as a key household issue, with the economy and the environment also scoring very highly.
Media Precinct MD Glenda Wynyard said the poll results show Australians aren’t fully engaged in the political process despite the amount of campaign advertising and media coverage of key issues.
“We talk to average Australian consumers all the time and what they tell us here is they don’t have confidence in what they’re being promised and are concerned about the cost of living. Particularly female voters and those already experiencing financial distress.
“We are seeing Australians have already taken steps to cut back and have significantly reviewed their household budget. There is also limited expectation to increase spending again post-election.
“Some of the election promises won’t kick in until 2024 and there’s almost a complete lack of trust in those commitments being honoured.
“Around 4 out of 5 people don’t believe these promises will be delivered. This is one of the reasons why we have started to see a significant shift towards support for independent candidates and minor parties.”
The Media Precinct poll found amongst all voters 18+:
52% say the cost of living is going up and they have made changes and are watching expenses
47% say they are disappointed in our political leaders
Cost of Living was a concern to 70% of respondents
78% believe Election promises won’t be kept
45% have already made cuts to their household expenditure
“The poll indicates that despite saturation media advertising, some key voter concerns remain which either the Government or Opposition will have to address after the election.”
“With less than one week to go, consumers hip pocket concerns remain the key issue for voters.”