Luke speaks with Professor Nicholas Biddle from the Centre for Social Research & Methods, ANU College of Arts & Social Sciences, who co-authored a study into the results of the recent Voice referendum.

The study, which provides a comprehensive overview of which Australians were likely to vote ‘yes’ and which Australians were likely to vote ‘no’, found 66.1 per cent who voted ‘no’ said they rejected the proposed constitutional change because it would divide the nation.

The survey, which examined the views and voting behaviour of more than 4,200 Australians, is the most comprehensive study of the 14 October referendum and the factors that led to its significant rejection at the polls they say.

The study, which tracked voters’ views between January and October 2023, also found that very few people switched from voting ‘no’ to ‘yes’ during the referendum campaign.

“Of those who said they would have voted ‘no’ when asked in January, only 4.8 per cent ended up voting ‘yes’,” says Professor Biddle said.

“In contrast, 42 per cent of those who said they would have voted ‘yes’ in January ended up voting ‘no’ in October 2023.”

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