A MAJORITY of middle income families earning between $40,000 and $90,000 a year believe that the Gillard government is engaged in a politically motivated class war.

But poorer and richer voters appear divided on the issue, with a fifth of the population unable to make up their mind.

An exclusive Galaxy poll for The Daily Telegraph revealed that 41 per cent of people earning between $40,000 and $90,000 a year - the Labor government's key target demographic and the majority of families - agreed that Labor was conducting class warfare in the lead-up to the September election.

But a majority of them also supported cutting back middle class handouts in the Budget to pay for school funding reforms and a national disability insurance scheme.

The mixed results confirm that the nation is divided on the debate but reveals that the claims made by outspoken Labor MPs over a raft of government reforms and policies have resonated with large sections of the electorate.

Dumped ministers Simon Crean and Martin Ferguson, as well as former Keating-era union boss Bill Kelty, have recently accused Prime Minister Julia Gillard of orchestrating a deliberate class divide over issues such as the mining tax, 457 visas and pushing single mothers on to the dole.

Mr Crean attacked Ms Gillard at the weekend, claiming she had a "tin ear" when it came to listening to advice and accused her of "class warfare".

But in some encouraging signs for the government, the poll of 1005 voters taken between April 9 and April 11 also confirms that people higher up the income scale would be prepared to forgo some handouts if the money was used to improve school funding and reform services for people living with disabilities and their carers.

Fifty-nine per cent of the middle income bracket support middle class welfare cuts, while 65 per cent of the so-called rich, earning above $90,000 a year, would support scaling back handouts.

Ms Gillard was also deemed the leader who best represented the interests of blue collar workers but she still failed to convince a majority of Australians.

Of total voters, 46 per cent backed Ms Gillard to protect blue collar workers while 39 per cent backed Opposition Leader Tony Abbott. And 15 per cent couldn't say.

But the split was evenly spread across income groups.

Not surprisingly, 84 per cent of Labor voters backed Ms Gillard to look after them.

However, the government appears to have failed to translate any of that support into votes. The poll showed Labor on a primary vote of just 33 per cent, one point higher than the last poll in late March, and a two party split of 54/46 in favour of the Coalition. If the result was repeated at the election, Labor would face a major defeat.