Should the law be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry?
Of the eligible Australians who expressed a view on this question, the majority indicated that the law should be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry, with 7,817,247 (61.6%) responding Yes and 4,873,987 (38.4%) responding No. Nearly 8 out of 10 eligible Australians (79.5%) expressed their view.
All states and territories recorded a majority Yes response. 133 of the 150 Federal Electoral Divisions recorded a majority Yes response, and 17 of the 150 Federal Electoral Divisions recorded a majority No response.
Further information on response and participation within each state and territory is available through the menu.
State/Territory
Yes
No
Total
no.
Yes %
no.
No %
no.
%
New South Wales
2,374,362
57.8
1,736,838
42.2
4,111,200
100
Victoria
2,145,629
64.9
1,161,098
35.1
3,306,727
100
Queensland
1,487,060
60.7
961,015
39.3
2,448,075
100
South Australia
592,528
62.5
356,247
37.5
948,775
100
Western Australia
801,575
63.7
455,924
36.3
1,257,499
100
Tasmania
191,948
63.6
109,655
36.4
301,603
100
Northern Territory(a)
48,686
60.6
31,690
39.4
80,376
100
Australian Capital Territory(b)
175,459
74.0
61,520
26.0
236,979
100
Australia (Total)
7,817,247
61.6
4,873,987
38.4
12,691,234
100
(a) Includes Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands (within the Division of Lingiari).
(b) Includes Jervis Bay (within the Division of Fenner) and Norfolk Island (within the Division of Canberra).
Participation
12,727,920 (79.5%) eligible Australians participated in the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey.
Females were more likely to participate than males. Nationally, 81.6% (6,644,192) of eligible females and 77.3% (5,980,168) of eligible males participated in the survey.
Those aged 70 to 74 were the most likely to respond to the survey, with 89.6% of eligible Australians in this age group participating. The participation rate was lowest in those aged 25 to 29 at 71.9%. The youngest age group of eligible Australians (those aged 18-19 years) were more likely (78.2%) to participate than any other age group under the age of 45 years.
Eligible participants
State/Territory
Total responding(a)
Non-responding
Total
no.
Total responding(b) %
no.
Non-responding %
no.
%
New South Wales
4,122,236
79.5
1,065,445
20.5
5,187,681
100
Victoria
3,317,755
81.7
743,634
18.3
4,061,389
100
Queensland
2,455,163
77.9
695,710
22.1
3,150,873
100
South Australia
951,553
79.7
242,027
20.3
1,193,580
100
Western Australia
1,260,687
78.4
346,333
21.6
1,607,020
100
Tasmania
302,408
79.7
77,020
20.3
379,428
100
Northern Territory(b)
80,605
58.4
57,496
41.6
138,101
100
Australian Capital Territory(c)
237,513
82.4
50,595
17.6
288,108
100
Australia (Total)
12,727,920
79.5
3,278,260
20.5
16,006,180
100
(a) Includes response not clear and blank responses.
(b) Includes Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands (within the Division of Lingiari).
(c) Includes Jervis Bay (within the Division of Fenner) and Norfolk Island (within the Division of Canberra).
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