- 62% Australians support a government takeover of the Whyalla Steelworks
- 60% back the idea of the steelworks being run by a publicly owned company
YouGov’s latest Public Data poll reveals the Coalition holding a 51% to 49% lead over Labor in the two-party preferred vote, with support for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton remaining largely negative.
Labor's primary vote stands at 28%, while the Coalition leads with 37%. The Greens hold 14%, One Nation is at 8%, Independents at 10% and other parties account for 2%. This survey marks the debut of Clive Palmer’s newly launched "Trumpet of Patriots" party in YouGov’s poll, which received just 1% support.
Paul Smith, YouGov Director of Public Data, commented: “If an election were held today, Trumpet of Patriots would only receive 1% of the vote, a very low level of initial support for the new party given it was conducted entirely after their launch that received extensive media coverage.”
The satisfaction for both party leaders once again remains negative:
- Prime Minister Albanese has a net satisfaction rating of -12% (40% satisfied, 52% dissatisfied)
- Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton fares slightly better, with a net rating of -2% (44% satisfied, 46% dissatisfied)
However, Albanese continues to hold a narrow lead as preferred Prime Minister, with 42% of voters backing him compared to 40% for Dutton.
In a notable shift, the poll found overwhelming support for government intervention in the future of the Whyalla steelworks:
- 62% of Australians support a government takeover of the steelworks
- 60% are in favor of public ownership of the plant
This widespread backing for public ownership is strong among voters of all parties, including 61% of those intending to vote for the Coalition in the upcoming election supporting the concept.
Smith remarked, “The 60% support for public ownership of the Whyalla steelworks, including 61% of people who intend to vote Liberal in the next election, demonstrates the strong backing for government intervention to secure Australia’s steel industry.”
The survey was conducted between February 21 and 27, 2025, with a sample of 1,501 Australians. YouGov will continue to publish weekly tracking polls leading up to the next election. Please see more insights on the YouGov website.
Methodology: This survey was conducted between February 21st and February 27th with a sample of 1518. Results are weighted to be representative of the population by age, gender, education, AEC region, household income, weighting by past vote (Federal vote and Voice referendum), with an effective margin of error of 3.2%. See Australian Polling Council methodology statement for full weightings. YouGov allocated preferences using the respondent allocated methodology set out on MRP methodology page.
YouGov correctly predicted the result of the recent referendum at 40% Yes, 60% No, and is a founding member of the Australian Polling Council, as well as a global leader in polling research. We are the only polling company to have polled our entire panel of survey participants to ensure our polls are representative of how Australians voted in the Voice referendum.
