This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

More voters believe superannuation should be preserved to fund retirement than used to purchase property according to the latest Guardian Essential survey, which has federal Labor retaining an election-winning position.

The latest poll of 1,804 voters has 50% of the sample saying super should be preserved for retirement, while 38% think it should be available to buy a home.

Only 34% of Coalition voters approved of using super for home ownership, with 58% in favour of keeping the nest egg for retirement.

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Support for the concept has dropped since May 2015, when 46% of those surveyed said super should be reserved for retirement and 41% said home ownership should be permitted.

The new Guardian Essential survey came amid public debate between senior Turnbull government figures about a proposal that would see people given access to their super for property purchases in the May budget.

The concept has divided the government and the prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has publicly derided the idea, which was explored by the treasurer, Scott Morrison, as part of a broad-ranging housing affordability package in the budget.

Turnbull said last week: “The legislative objective of superannuation is to provide for retirement – that’s the whole purpose of it and that’s the way the whole system is set up in the first place.”

The new Guardian Essential survey has Labor well ahead of the Coalition on the two-party preferred measure, leading on 54% to the Coalition’s 46%. Last week’s two-party preferred vote had Labor leading the Coalition 53% to 47%.

It also suggests that the One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, has a higher disapproval rating from voters than approval. The poll showed 48% disapproved of her performance, while 32% approved.

Two other rightwing Senate crossbench players – the former Liberal Cory Bernardi and the Liberal Democratic party senator David Leyonhjelm – also had relatively high disapproval ratings.

In Leyonhjelm’s case 9% approved while 28% disapproved. Fifty per cent of the survey didn’t know enough about him to express a view. Bernardi had 34% disapproval and 10% approval and 41% didn’t know enough to venture an opinion.

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The NXT leader, Nick Xenophon, by contrast, was more liked than disliked, with 35% approval and 25% disapproval.

Two other crossbenchers – Derryn Hinch and Jacqui Lambie – divided the field. Thirty-five per cent approved of Hinch and 27% disapproved. In Lambie’s case, 32% approved and 30% disapproved.

The poll also posed a number of security questions, asking whether voters approved of the US government bombing Syria in response to the use of chemical weapons reportedly by the Assad regime. Forty-one per cent approved and 36% disapproved, while 23% of the sample didn’t have a view.

Voters gave the thumbs down to the idea of the Australian government providing military support for US actions in Syria. Fifty per cent disapproved while 31% approved.

Voters nominated terrorism as the greatest threat to global stability and world peace (49%) with US aggression on 15%, climate change on 11%, Russian aggression on 8% and Chinese aggression on 5%.