Dislike of Abbott cost Libs election

Australian Election Study, based on a detailed survey conducted immediately after the election in August, found that voters' dislike of the Opposition Leader added more than 1 per cent to Labor's vote.

Julia Gillard's unpopularity also benefited the other side of politics but it increased the Coalition's vote by only 0.2 per cent.

The net 0.9 per cent shift to Labor attributable to leadership was enough to keep Labor in power in an election where it finished with 50.12 per cent of the two-party-preferred vote and an equal number of seats to the Coalition (not including West Australian National Tony Crook, who sits as an independent).

The Coalition gained 0.7 per cent by being seen as better economic managers but this was almost cancelled out by the 0.6 per cent benefit Labor gained from the education issue.

survey asked voters to rate leaders on a scale from zero, representing strong dislike, to 10 for strong liking.

Although Ms Gillard at the August election would have expected to be still enjoying a honeymoon after replacing Kevin Rudd two months earlier, she rated just below neutral at 4.9.

This compared with Mr Rudd's score of 6.3 at the 2007 election. Ms Gillard's standing was slightly worse than the 5.0 rating given to leader Mark Latham at the 2004 election.

But Ms Gillard was significantly less unpopular than Mr Abbott, who rated at 4.3 - one of the lowest scores recorded for a major party leader in the survey, which has been held after each election since 1987.

It was even below the 4.4 for Paul Keating at the 1996 election, which he lost to John Howard in a landslide.

"You could say that Gillard was doing her best to lose the election but Abbott trumped her," says Professor Bean.

Mr Rudd, with a score of 5.0 at this election, outpointed both the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader.

But Mr Abbott did outrate the Greens' Bob Brown and the Nationals' Warren Truss, both on 4.1 and Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan on 4.0.

Australia's first female prime minister benefited from the support of women, with 44 per cent of them voting Labor, compared with 36 per cent of men.

Men favoured the Coalition by 50 per cent to 41 per cent.

Ms Gillard outpointed Mr Abbott on each of nine qualities that voters in the survey said described the leaders well.

She was seen as providing stronger leadership and being more intelligent, compassionate, competent, sensible, knowledgeable, inspiring, honest and trustworthy.

But her overthrow of Mr Rudd harmed her, with 74 per cent of voters saying they disapproved of the way the Labor Party handled the change.

"All other things being equal, the analysis suggests that, had the Coalition gone to the 2010 Australian federal election with a leader who was viewed more favourably across the electorate, the outcome probably would have been a narrow victory for the Liberals and Nationals," professors Bean and McAllister write in a forthcoming book.