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Healthcare and the cost of living are the two biggest worries for voters ahead of next month's federal election. But concern about the state of the environment has been rising more quickly than any other issue since Australians last went to the polls, a survey shows. The Ipsos Issues Monitor, which asks a representative sample of Australians to select the three top issues facing the nation, found 23 per cent rated the environment among their biggest worries this month compared with 14 per cent in July 2016, the time of the last federal election. Ipsos social researcher Daniel Evans said community concern about the environment had been on a gradual upward trajectory for several years but the pace of the increase has picked up markedly in recent months. "Now there is a real momentum around it," he said. Anxiety about the environment was most pronounced among those aged under 25 but there has also been a marked rise in the number of older voters ranking environment among their biggest worries. Concern about immigration has also been on the rise, climbing from the eighth to the sixth most common worry during the past three years. The Issues Monitor, Australia's longest running survey of community concerns, found 32 per cent of respondents considered health their biggest concern while 31 per cent ranked the cost of living as the number one challenge. Crime was third with 25 per cent. Healthcare was also the primary voter worry at the time of the 2016 election although the overall share rating it among their biggest concerns is now lower. The environment, ranked the ninth most common concern at the last election, has now climbed to fourth. The economy, immigration, housing, unemployment, poverty and drug abuse rounded out the top 10. Voters rated the Labor Party most capable of managing Australia's healthcare challenges but the Coalition was favoured to manage both cost of living pressures and crime. More federal election campaign coverage Tax cuts and tax policies have been a major focus of the federal election campaign but the Issues Monitor shows taxation is not a high priority for most voters. Only 8 per cent of survey respondents ranked taxation among their top three concerns, down from 10 per cent at the time of the last election. The economy was ranked the fifth biggest worry although the share of voters including the economy among top concerns has fallen since the last election from 30 per cent to 23 per cent. The Coalition was rated best to manage the economy and immigration while Labor was favoured to deal with housing and unemployment. Voter concern about housing affordability surged between 2014 and 2017 amid rapid property price growth, especially in Sydney and Melbourne. While fewer voters overall now rate housing among their biggest worries it remains one of the top concerns for younger voters and for people living in Sydney. Those aged over 55 years were much more concerned about healthcare than those in younger age groups. For those aged under 55 years the cost of living was the biggest worry. People in regional Australia were more concerned than average about unemployment and drug abuse. Regional and urban areas registered a similar share of voters identifying the environment as a top concern. An annual survey on climate change, released this month by Ipsos, showed 46 per cent of Australians now agree climate change is "entirely or mainly" caused by humans, the highest share since the poll began in 2010. SMH/The Age

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