An Exploration of Homelessness and Electoral Participation
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An Exploration of Homelessness and Electoral Participation A report prepared for the Australian Electoral Commission by Veronica Coram, Jonathon Louth, Lisa Hill, Selina Tually & Ian Goodwin-Smith 1 “That was one of the main things for me, being homeless, you know, the politicians knowing that okay, we are constituents, you know, members of society, the homeless are actually coming out to vote, that my vote matters as much as those people who are working.“ - 30 year old, Male participant on the importance of voting Acknowledgements The authors would like to acknowledge and thank the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) and the specialist homelessness services which engaged so meaningfully with this project. This research was made possible by the assistance of the Hutt St Centre, Baptist Care SA and Neami National Street to Home. The research team greatly appreciates the assistance provided by these organisations in recruiting participants and facilitating data collection on their premises. Input into the research plan and research instruments provided by key staff within these organisations was also vital. We especially extend our gratitude to project team members Ms Susan Geraghty (AEC), Mr Jaimie Holland (Hutt St Centre), Mr Craig McGlone (Baptist Care SA), and Mr Peter Hall (Neami). We also extend thanks to all of the participants for their contribution to this research. This research project was funded by the Australian Electoral Commission. Acknowledgement of Country The researchers acknowledge the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of this nation. We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we conducted this research. We pay our respects to ancestors and Elders, past and present. The Australian Alliance for Social Enterprise is committed to honouring Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ unique cultural and spiritual relationships to the land, waters and seas and their rich contribution to society. For further information contact: Dr Jonathon Louth, Research Fellow The Australian Alliance for Social Enterprise (TAASE) University of South Australia T: +61 8 8302 7095 E: [email protected] Professor Lisa Hill, Professor of Politics Politics and International Relations (POLIR) University of Adelaide T: +61 8 8363 4865 E: [email protected] TASSE Report 1-10/19 Pictures on front cover Photo supplied by the AEC. The image depicts a voter information session run with participants at Hutt St Centre. Design Hazelnut Creative Suggested citation Coram, V., Louth, J., Hill, L., Tually, S., & Goodwin-Smith, I. (2019). An Exploration of Homelessness and Electoral Participation. University of South Australia and The University of Adelaide, Adelaide Contents List of Figures and Tables ..................................................................................................................................2 Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................................3 Key findings .....................................................................................................................................................3 Introduction ..........................................................................................................................................................5 Background ...........................................................................................................................................................7 Voting and homelessness in Australia ......................................................................................................7 An under-researched issue ...................................................................................................................8 The work so far ........................................................................................................................................9 Defining and measuring homelessness .............................................................................................11 The complexity of the problem .................................................................................................................12 Homelessness and obstacles to voting .............................................................................................13 Why should people experiencing homelessness vote? ......................................................................15 Democratic inclusion and legitimacy .................................................................................................15 Voting and disadvantage ........................................................................................................................16 Voting as protection for material interests ........................................................................................17 Voting as representation ........................................................................................................................17 Voting as social inclusion ......................................................................................................................18 Voting to create social meaning ..........................................................................................................19 Contribution and limitations of this research ........................................................................................20 Methodology ........................................................................................................................................................21 Ethical considerations ..................................................................................................................................21 Impact on participants ...........................................................................................................................21 Data confidentiality .................................................................................................................................22 Benefits for participants .........................................................................................................................22 Sampling ..........................................................................................................................................................23 Data collection ...............................................................................................................................................24 Voting information workshops .............................................................................................................24 Main survey ...............................................................................................................................................24 Exit survey ..................................................................................................................................................25 Interviews ...................................................................................................................................................27 Gift vouchers.............................................................................................................................................27 Results ....................................................................................................................................................................28 Voting information workshops ..................................................................................................................28 Main survey .....................................................................................................................................................30 Participant demographics .....................................................................................................................30 Voting behaviour and attitudes ............................................................................................................31 Exit survey ........................................................................................................................................................37 Participant demographics .....................................................................................................................37 Voting behaviour and attitudes ............................................................................................................38 Interviews .........................................................................................................................................................40 Participant demographics .....................................................................................................................40 Data analysis .............................................................................................................................................41 Voting status and habits .........................................................................................................................41 Reasons to vote and benefits ...............................................................................................................42 Obstacles to voting .................................................................................................................................43 Social and media influences