The surge in support for Pauline Hanson is built upon a huge increase in her likeability among the nation’s voters, with new polling revealing she will go into 2026 more liked than at almost any time in her political career.

The Resolve Political Monitor of the likeability of all federal politicians shows Hanson, and her newest MP Barnaby Joyce, have enjoyed some of the largest turnarounds in support by voters of more than 50 people tracked by the survey over the past year.

Hanson, whose party is enjoying its strongest opinion poll results in its history, finished 2024 with a likeability rating of minus 13. Although among the lowest ratings of any MP, it was an improvement on the minus 25 she recorded at the end of 2023.

But she finishes this year in positive territory with a rating of plus 3 – a 16-point turnaround.

It’s a similar story for Joyce, who defected from the Nationals, the party he had represented in parliament since 2005, to One Nation this month.

Joyce finished 2024 with likeability rating of minus 22. He finishes this year at minus 4.

While Joyce’s popularity has soared, he is just one of two MPs to still have a negative likeability rating, coming in at minus four.

The only other person underwater in terms of likeability remains Lidia Thorpe. But she has enjoyed the biggest improvement of any MP, going from minus 41 to minus 12. More than half of all MPs tracked by Resolve ended 2024 with negative likeability.

The survey, conducted for this masthead by research company Resolve Strategic, is based on questions to 1606 voters nationwide about whether they have heard of a politician and whether they have a positive, neutral or negative view of that person.

It was conducted before the Bondi attack that claimed the lives of 15 people.

Resolve director Jim Reed said the sharp improvement in Hanson’s standing had really improved through the second half of the year.

“It’s really in line with the lift in support we’re seeing for One Nation,” he said.

Reed said that after the deep negativity of last year had given way to a much more positive outlook by voters towards their elected representatives.

“There’s been this big, general lift year-on-year among voters who’ve gone from their deeply negative feelings to something a bit more upbeat,” he said.

Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie, who was the most-liked politician in 2024, remains at the top of the rankings at positive 15, although she has been joined by ACT independent senator David Pocock.

Pocock’s likeability jumped by 10 points from 2024.

Anne Aly, the small business minister who joined cabinet after the election, is Labor’s most liked federal politician, with a likeability rating of plus 12. She is narrowly ahead of Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Infrastructure Minister Catherine King, both at plus 11.

The most liked Liberal MP is Tim Wilson (plus 11), the only member of the party to ever claim a seat from a teal independent.

The opposition industrial relations spokesman wrested the Melbourne seat of Goldstein back from Zoe Daniel after a marathon count, and after she prematurely celebrated a win on election night.

He had originally won Goldstein in 2016 and beat out two female challengers to win preselection for this year’s poll.

Wilson, 45, was also one of the moderates who lobbied hard against the party’s decision to scrap its commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

Other independents remain well liked, including Zali Steggall, Helen Haines and Monique Ryan (all at plus 8), Kate Chaney and Sophie Scamps (plus 7) and Allegra Spender (plus 5).

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had one of the biggest turnarounds in fortunes, going from minus 17 in 2024 to plus 9. Liberal leader Sussan Ley also enjoyed a sizeable improvement, going from zero to plus 8.

Reed noted the result for Albanese would have been influenced by the positive end to the parliamentary year when the government passed legislation such as its reforms to environmental laws and his wedding. But it was conducted before the Bondi shootings for which Albanese has been under political attack.

A separate Resolve poll taken of 1010 people in the week after the Bondi shootings revealed Albanese’s net likeability fell 14 points, from plus 9 to minus 5, which is on par with the result from September, while for Ley it dropped from plus 8 to plus 1.

This poll has a higher margin of error than the pre-Bondi survey.

Other large positive movements were recorded for Treasurer Jim Chalmers (from minus 7 to positive 5), independent MP Bob Katter (minus 15 to positive 5), Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles (minus 5 to positive 6) and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke (minus 5 to positive 7).

Of the more than 50 politicians tracked by Resolve, just one, Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, suffered a fall in net likeability.

Price, whose profile soared due to her role opposing the Voice referendum, quit the National Country Party soon after this year’s election to join the Liberal Party. Despite a five-point drop in net likeability, she remains in positive territory.

“She hasn’t had the same profile she was enjoying and that seems to have affected her likeability,” Reed said.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/pauline-hanson-barnaby-joyce-zoom-up-the-politicians-likeability-ladder-20251229-p5nqg4.html

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