Institute of Public Affairs poll reveals what Aussies REALLY think about the controversy surrounding our national holiday – and whether the date should be changed

There has been a surge in support, especially among young Aussies, for celebrating Australia Day on the traditional date, a surprising new poll has found.

The Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) survey found that 69 percent of 1,002 respondents agreed that the national holiday should remain on January 26 – an increase of six points from 12 months ago.

According to the right-wing think tank, the growing shift towards January 26, which marks the arrival of the First Fleet at Port Jackson in 1788, is particularly pronounced among Australians aged 18 to 24, despite being less favorable than other age groups. .

Last year, only 42 percent of young Aussies supported celebrating on January 26, but that number has risen to 52 percent.

A majority in every age category now prefers January 26 as the date for national commemoration.

The poll also found that 86 per cent of respondents were ‘proud to be Australian’, while 68 per cent agreed that Australia has ‘a history to be proud of’.

IPA deputy director Daniel Wild said the results showed a shift in the atmosphere and energy around Australia Day.

“In the recent past, every January, Australians have had to endure the hand-wringing and navel-gazing of the self-appointed opinion leaders and elites demanding that the country reflect on the reasons to be ashamed of Australia. Not anymore!’ he said the Daily Telegraph.

Mr Wild pointed to the failed Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum.

Backflips by supermarket giant Woolworths and hospitality operator Australian Venue Co to downplay the significance of Australia Day due to public backlash were also further evidence of the turning tide.

“It is clear that mainstream Australians have been gutted by this attitude and the fact that they have been attacked by the elites,” Mr Wild added.

“January 26 is more than just a date, it represents the establishment of modern Australia as a free and fair country.”

It comes after Liberal MP Andrew Wallace claimed most Aussies had a “gut feeling” about being told what to do by woke activists.

The IPA survey indicated a growing shift against commemorations of Invasion Day on January 26. The photo shows Senator Lydia Thorpe taking part in an earlier meeting on Invasion Day

Mr Wallace, who represents Fisher in south-east Queensland, said he is regularly stopped on the street by ordinary Australians tired of the debate.

“The word ‘woke’ was never really in the mainstream vocabulary until recently,” he told Sky News presenter Danica De Giorgio last week.

“I think people have been absolutely gutted and I’m not talking about members of the LNP or people involved in politics, I’m talking about the average Australian who has had enough.

“They want the government out of their lives, they are tired of being told what is right and wrong, how to think, where to buy, what to do.”

Mr Wallace said Australia Day was “special” and should be treated as such.

“Australians are a friendly, peace-loving people who are and should be very proud of this great country,” he said.

“It is a very special day when we recognize Australia and we can be very proud of where we have come in the last 240 years.

The poll found Australians aged 18 to 24 had backed January 26 as a national holiday

‘We are the twelfth largest economy in the world and we have a very small population: 27 million people.

‘We box well above our weight in so many areas: in sports, in the economy, in industry.

‘We are a great country and we can be very proud of what we have built.’

January 26 has been labeled Invasion Day by those who believe it should be a day of mourning for the dispossession of Indigenous Australians.