New polling research reveals a majority of Australians agree that junk food advertising during children’s viewing should be banned, and an overwhelming majority support a ban on TV gambling advertisements.

A majority of Australians also supported bans on alcohol and tobacco advertising on TV, and more agree than disagree that ads promoting fossil fuels should be stopped.

Key Findings:

• Two in three Australians (66%) agree that junk food ads during children’s viewing hours should be banned, compared to 12% who disagree.
• Seven in 10 Australians (71%) agree that gambling ads on TV should be banned.
• The existing ban on tobacco advertising is very popular, with three in four Australians (74%) agreeing it should stay in place.
• Half of Australians (51%) agree that alcohol ads on TV should be banned, more than twice as many as disagree (19%).
• More Australians agree than disagree that ads promoting fossil fuels should be banned (41% vs 24%).

“These results show the community backs public health experts in supporting greater protection for children from the junk food industry,” said Executive Director of the Australia Institute Dr. Richard Denniss.

“A company like McDonalds is an advertising heavyweight, with its ad budget ballooning to over $83m each year. The clear majority of Australians want greater protection for our kids and their health.

“Results also show Australians have had enough of the gambling industry saturating our airwaves with messages enticing us to bet.

“The majority view was clear on both junk food and gambling, across all voting intentions – give these ads the punt.

“While community concern with adverting by alcohol and fossil fuel companies is not as high as it is for junk food and gambling, far more Australians support restrictions on alcohol and fossil fuel advertising than oppose them.”

According to Nielsen the gambling industry spent around $287.2m on advertising in Australia in 2021.

Full polling brief with polling methodology, margin of error, and questions as they were put is attached. The Australia Institute is an accredited member of the Australian Polling Council.