Fifty percent of November's 'No' vote pro-Republic

Fifty percent of November's 'No' vote pro-Republic

Almost half of all 'No' voters in last year's Constitutional Referendum preferred a Republic, according to a University of Queensland study.

Conducted at the time of the poll, the $65,000 Australian Research Council-funded study represented the only comprehensive, non-commercial examination of voting behaviours at the time.

Centre for Public Administration Director Dr Gow was the study's principal investigator assisted by the Australian National University's Professor Ian McAllister and QUT's Dr Clive Bean.

'The study confirms what many pundits believed at the time - that what was really at issue was the form or type of Republic. Our study found nearly 50 percent of the No voters wanted a Republic in which the President was popularly elected rather than appointed by Parliament,' Dr Gow said.

'In other words, the No vote could not be construed as a complete endorsement of the Monarchy.'

Dr Gow said the study was significant because of its application of good social science methodology to an historical event. 'Such an opportunity rarely comes along,' he said.

The random survey of 3400 Australians also provided a solid benchmark or foundation from which to track shifts in Republican sentiment before the inevitable move to a Republic, he said.

'Commercial polls such as those conducted by newspapers simply show the proportion of voters for Yes and No. This kind of ?horse-race reporting' does not give a deeper understanding of the dynamics at play,' Dr Gow said.

The Centre was established in 1998 offering an undergraduate major for both Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Business students as well as a postgraduate qualification, the Master of Public Administration (MPA).

'The MPA is the public sector's equivalent of the Master of Business Administration (MBA) providing mid-career training for people with technical backgrounds who are moving into more administrative and managerial roles,' Dr Gow said.

For more information, contact Dr David Gow (telephone 07 3365 2689) or Shirley Glaister in UQ Communications (telephone 07 3365 2339) or email us at: communications@mailbox.uq.edu.au