Coalition voters are much less likely to support an extension to the JobKeeper scheme, ANU polling has found, adding heft to the government's moves to wind back the wage subsidy.
The Australian National University polled 3200 people in May on their views about the economy and the coronavirus measures, finding differences between younger and older people, and between Coalition, Labor and Green voters.
Green voters are most likely to want the JobKeeper wages subsidy and the JobSeeker unemployment benefit extended past six months, with 70 per cent supporting the move. Labor voters are not far behind, at just under 67 per cent.
But only 44 per cent of Coalition voters support extending the payments.
Under JobKeeper, the government is helping businesses pay almost three million people by giving them $750 a week for each worker. For many, including part-timers and casuals working a few shifts a week, that has meant a pay increase. Under JobSeeker, the government has effectively doubled the dole.
Both are set to end in September, but the government is facing pressure from many quarters to phase out the wage subsidy rather than cut it and risk sending businesses broke. It is also under pressure not to return to the $230-a-week Newstart rate.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has already announced that 120,000 childcare workers will lose JobKeeper in July, and is reviewing the payment for some industries and for people who were earning less before the subsidy.
The ANU poll is the latest in a regular series from the ANU Centre for Social Research Methods. Centre director Matthew Gray said people's responses when asked what would help fix the country's economic problems were surprisingly similar in May to January.
"People's support for particular policies during what has been described as the worst economic circumstances in Australia since the Great Depression are not that different to what they were during a time of close to full employment and the longest continuous economic expansion in Australia's history," the authors comment.
Most people (82 per cent in May) said spending on health, education and housing would help fix the economy. Next was infrastructure, then tax cuts (only 59 per cent support), and giving money to the poor (56 per cent).
Asked about coronavirus economic policies, the strongest predictor of views was anxiety about the virus. More anxious and worried people were far less likely to support reopening pubs, clubs and cafes and international borders. They were far more likely to support spending on vaccines and treatments and on helping the economy.
Overall, there is limited support for the idea that allowing overseas tourists and international students would help the economy, with only 17 per cent of people thinking it would help a great deal. People have greater faith in the benefits of easing on pubs, clubs and cafes (26 per cent saying it would be a big benefit to the economy). Most people believe the biggest benefit would come from spending more on vaccines and treatment.
People aged 25 to 34 are the most conservative of any age group on opening the borders and easing restrictions on pubs and clubs, a result Professor Gray said might reflect more pessimism among that group about the economic value of any of the polices.
People born in non-English speaking countries were more likely to support reopening the international borders. People with lower education or with vocational qualifications were more likely to want borders remain closed.
The largest cohort to support extending JobKeeper and JobKeeper were people aged 18 to 24 - also those likely to be receiving the payments. In that age group, 71 per cent wanted the payments extended, compared with 52-55 per cent of people aged 45 to 64 years.
Coalition and Labor voters held broadly similar views about the economic benefits of opening the borders, and easing restrictions on pubs, clubs and cafes.
The poll was released as the national cabinet decided on Friday to allow international students, but Professor Gray said the results suggested support for a domestic-led economy more than opening overseas borders. The result probably reflected the importance of local industries such as mining and agriculture to the Australian economy, but also people's sense that the rest of the world was dangerous and the reality that most cases were still among overseas arrivals, he said. Australians appeared more interested in self-reliance, self-sufficiency and local manufacturing.
