Kevin Rudd’s return as Prime Minister is winning Labor the youth vote, but nearly a third of young Australians remain undecided, according to new research by The Australia Institute.

The survey of more than 950 people aged 17-24 asked respondents about their voting intentions, whether they vote the same way as their friends and family, and how interested they are in the federal election.

These results can be compared with a similar survey conducted by The Australia Institute in May.

The survey found Labor has received a boost of ten percentage points with 33 per cent of respondents now saying they’ll vote for the ALP, compared with 23 per cent in the May survey.

The Liberal vote has dropped from 25 per cent to 23 per cent, while the Greens dropped from 11 per cent to eight per cent.

35 per cent of those surveyed said Kevin Rudd’s return as Prime Minister makes them more likely to vote Labor, while 14 per cent say they are now less likely to vote Labor.

“What’s really interesting is that 28 per cent of young Australians still haven’t decided who they’ll vote for,” Executive Director of The Australia Institute, Dr Richard Denniss said.

“That should be a pretty clear indicator to our politicians that there are plenty of votes to be won, if they address issues that are important to young people.”

But 40 per cent of respondents say that no political party represents the needs of young people, down from 47 per cent in May.

Note for editors:

The Australia Institute conducted an online survey in August 2013 with 966 respondents aged 17-24. Respondents were sourced from a reputable independent online panel provider and received a small incentive of reward points to participate.

A previous survey conducted in May has been released in three parts in the lead up to the election. All survey results are available at www.tai.org.au.

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