YouGov poll suggests Gen Z, Millennial voters want action on climate change

A fresh survey from respected polling firm YouGov suggests climate change is now a dominant concern for Australia’s largest voting bloc.

Some 79 per cent of all Millennial and Gen Z voters, or voters born between 1980 and 2012, list climate change as an important factor in determining their vote.

The issue is also a top-end priority for a substantial bulk of the two cohorts.

Some 46 per cent of Gen Z and 37 per cent of Millennials list climate change as “extremely important” or “very important” in determining their vote.

By comparison, just 55 per cent of Baby Boomers, or those born between 1946 and 1964, rate climate change as an important factor in determining their vote, and 30 per cent rate it as “extremely important” or “very important”.

The poll, commissioned by Solutions for Climate Australia, surveyed 1622 Australian voters of all ages.

“This polling counters the lazier conversations that this election is solely about the cost of living,” Dr Barry Traill from Solutions for Climate Australia said.

“Younger voters are obviously concerned about cost of living and they also want action to deal with climate change.

“What this data indicates is that every election is now in part a climate election.”

The voting power of Gen Z and Millennial voters is flowing through to the major parties, with both Labor and the Coalition committed to a net zero emissions platform.

Labor has proposed renewable energy backed by batteries to bring down emissions, while the Coalition has proposed nuclear energy, a zero emissions technology, to provide Australia’s baseload power needs.

An elected Dutton government would build seven government-owned nuclear reactors co-located alongside retiring coal-fired generators by 2050, with the first two smaller generators in operation by 2035.

Modelling done by Frontier Economics suggests the policy would cost some $331bn over 25 years.

But the polling suggests the Coalition’s nuclear plan isn’t cutting through for younger voters.

When asked, “which energy source do you think will reduce your energy bills fastest,” just 20 per cent of Gen Z and 10 per cent of Millennials listed nuclear reactors.

The options of wind and solar farms backed by batteries was selected by 52 per cent of Gen Z and 45 per cent of Millennials.

Labor hopes to source 82 per cent of the electricity grid from renewables by 2030, firmed by battery storage and gas, from about 35 per cent at present.

The government is also establishing vehicle emissions standards for new vehicles sold in Australia, effective from July 1 this year.

Manufacturers who breach the standards will be penalised.