Going backwards or barely getting by: Australians end year in financial stress, Q+A poll shows

Most Australians don't feel like they're ahead financially as the year draws to a close. Australians Just over half — 55 per cent — feel positive looking ahead to 2025, a national weighted poll of 1,514 people by YouGov shows. A quarter feel like they're going backwards, while 38 per cent say they're "barely getting by". An overwhelming majority of Australians — 77 per cent — couldn't think of one thing the government had done in the last two years to make them financially better off. The Q+A/YouGov survey — conducted over a week ending last Thursday — found a little over half of respondents said a positive relationship with China was "very important", compared to 42 per cent who said the relationship was no more important than any other country.