Support for a republic is higher in the ACT, at around 60 per cent, than it is in the rest of the country, according to the latest Datacol-Canberra Times opinion poll.
The poll was part of a major survey of voting intentions and social opinions. Details of voting intention for next February’s ACT election will be published tomorrow.
National support is about 54 per cent, according to the latest Newspoll.
Slightly more males than females want a republic in both the ACT and nationally and both have Labor voters in favour at around 70 per cent.
The difference comes with Coalition voters. Nearly half of them (48 per cent) in the ACT want a republic. Nationally only 43 per cent do.
Support for a republic in the ACT is slightly down since the last Datacol poll in February 1996, from 61 to 59, but the drop is not statistically significant in the sample size. But the ACT did not show the surge of support for a republic in the wake of Princess Diana’s death that was revealed in national polling.
The Datacol telephone poll was of 682 randomly selected people. The poll also covered preference for Chief Minister, recognition of and satisfaction levels for all 17 MLAs.