On January 26, the majority of Australians will once again take the opportunity to revel in everything they love about this sunburnt country. But a growing number of people are questioning whether January 26 is the right date on which to hold our national day – to which there is no clear answer.
Pureprofile surveyed more than 500 people across the country in January 2019 to shed light on the debate.
Whilst 74% of Aussies have said they will celebrate Australia Day on January 26, a significant 26% say they will not.
Overall, 49% of Australians say they would celebrate Australia Day if it was on a different date.
27% said that they would not celebrate if the date changed, and the remaining 24% were unsure.
Of those who are celebrating on the current date, 58% said that they’d still celebrate if the date changed, while 20% said that they would not. 18% think that the date should be changed due to the beliefs of indigenous Australians, while 61% believe the date should not be changed for this reason.
When it comes to those not celebrating Australia Day, 22% said that they would celebrate if the date changed, and 43% believe the date should be changed in respect of indigenous Australians.
Interestingly, 22% of Australians would celebrate on a different day, but do not think that the date should be changed because of the meaning of the date to indigenous Australians.
19% of Australians would not celebrate on a different day, and also do not think that the date should be changed because of the meaning of the date to indigenous Australians
The remaining are unsure.
With such divide in opinion and sentiment, perhaps an open debate is the only way to increase understanding on all sides.
