A REVIEW conducted by the Australian National University found that voter interest in the 2016 Australian election is it a record low with dissatisfaction in democracy and further distrust in the government. 

Lead researcher professor Ian McAllister says the election study was a wake-up call to Australia’s political leadership as it found Australia was not immune from the problems facing democracy in Europe and the United States.

“Public satisfaction with our democratic processes and public trust in the politicians we elect are at some of the lowest levels ever recorded,” says McAllister.

“What we are seeing in Australia are the beginnings of a popular disaffection with the political class that has emerged so dramatically in Britain, United States and Italy.”

Key findings found that only 30 per cent of Australians took a good deal of interest in the campaign and a record low of 34 per cent followed how to vote instructions, a drop of almost 10 points since 2013.

The study further found that 40 per cent are not satisfied with democracy in Australia, the lowest level since the 1970s and only 26 per cent think the government can be trusted – the lowest number since it was first measured in 1969.

A record high 19 per cent say they don’t feel close to any political party, or identify as Labor, Liberal or Greens voters.

ANU researcher Sarah Cameron says partisanship has declined gradually over time to a record low for both the Labor and Liberal parties, at 30 and 33 per cent respectively, while numbers who align with no party at all, or who align with the Greens, have been steadily rising over time.

“The 2016 election continued the trend of elections being won despite low levels of leader popularity. Kevin Rudd’s 2007 election was the last time a newly elected Prime Minister enjoyed a high level of popularity amongst Australians,” she says.

“The 2010, 2013, and 2016 elections each saw newly elected Prime Ministers fail to reach above the half way point on a ten-point scale of how much voters liked the leader.”

Voter support was alternatively for Australia’s immigration program, Indigenous recognition in the Constitution and support for same sex marriage.

Dr Jill Sheppard from the ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods,says: “As the Victorian Government moves to legalise assisted suicide for terminally ill patients, the very high levels of support for the decriminalisation of euthanasia in this survey shows there is mood for change across the country.”

ANU has conducted the “Australian Election Study” following each election since 1987. The latest survey is based on interviews with 2818 people in the three months following the July 2 election.

For more data and analysis, visit australianelectionstudy.org.