In the shadow of an election, things are looking up for the PM – while opposition leader Peter Dutton’s approval rating slips into negative territory nationwideFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralians are feeling more optimistic in 2025 about the fortunes of the economy and their families, delivering Anthony Albanese a welcome approval polling boost to begin the election year.Voters’ perceptions of the country, their personal finances and the year ahead were much rosier after the summer holiday period, the latest Essential poll found, in a substantial turnaround from the mood before Christmas.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading…In the shadow of an election, things are looking up for the PM – while opposition leader Peter Dutton’s approval rating slips into negative territory nationwideFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralians are feeling more optimistic in 2025 about the fortunes of the economy and their families, delivering Anthony Albanese a welcome approval polling boost to begin the election year.Voters’ perceptions of the country, their personal finances and the year ahead were much rosier after the summer holiday period, the latest Essential poll found, in a substantial turnaround from the mood before Christmas.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading…
Australians are feeling more optimistic in 2025 about the fortunes of the economy and their families, delivering Anthony Albanese a welcome approval polling boost to begin the election year.
Voters’ perceptions of the country, their personal finances and the year ahead were much rosier after the summer holiday period, the latest Essential poll found, in a substantial turnaround from the mood before Christmas.
With a federal election due by May and political leaders already a fortnight into a pseudo-campaign crisscrossing the country, the prime minister saw a slight uptick in his approval ratings. He finished 2024 with an anaemic net approval rating of -11, with 50% of people in December disapproving of the job he was doing and 39% approving. In January 2025, his net rating climbed to zero, with 45% each approving and disapproving.
The most recent poll, which surveyed 1,132 voters, found Albanese’s approval was strongest among young voters, with 54% of those aged 18-34 giving the prime minister a positive rating, compared to only 36% of those over 55.
The opposition leader Peter Dutton’s ratings slipped just back into negative territory, with 42% approving of his performance and 43% disapproving, a net result of -1, down four points from his +3 in December.
Albanese’s approval ratings were highest in South Australia (+10) and Western Australia (+5), but negative in Queensland (-5). These figures represented major turnarounds from December, when the Labor leader was -21 in QLD and -17 in WA.
The Essential poll found Albanese’s disapproval was highest in Victoria, a Labor stronghold crucial to the prime minister’s chances of holding on to the keys to The Lodge. In that state, 49% of voters disapproved of his performance, with only 44% approving, a net of -5.
In NSW – another state where the Coalition seeks to make electoral gains – Dutton’s approval rating was highest, with 48% approving and 40% disapproving. In WA, however, Dutton’s approval was a paltry 28% and his disapproval a whopping 55%, representing a net approval rating of -27.
The major parties’ campaign slogans and ethos have already been revealed, with Labor’s “building Australia’s future” to focus on pledges that life will get better for Australians, as the Coalition seeks to convince voters the nation needs to get “back on track”.
The latest Essential poll found a growing number of Australians believed the country was on the right track already, with 38% of respondents agreeing the nation was going in the right direction – an uptick of 7 percentage points compared to December’s poll, and the highest response on that question since May 2023.
While a higher number (46%) agreed with the proposition that the country was on the wrong track, that number was still down 5 points on last month.
The January survey found more Australians were optimistic about the forthcoming year. Asked whether they thought the next 12 months would be good for themselves and their families, 40% agreed, while 23% disagreed. The remaining 37% said they thought the year would be neither good nor bad, or didn’t know.
That +18 net result compared to a net of zero when the same question was asked in December, when the same number of voters agreed and disagreed that the next 12 months would be good.
An even bigger turnaround emerged over the question of whether Australia in general would be better off this year. In January, 33% each both agreed and disagreed: a 22-point net turnaround.
A similar 23-point turnaround was seen in expectations of the Australian economy, going from net -36 to net -13. In January, 27% of respondents described the state of the economy as good, with 40% describing it as poor – a lift from December, when 23% described it as good and 46% as poor.
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