The January 2020 ANUpoll also found the greatest drop in support for new coal mines was among Australian adults who voted for the Coalition at last year's Federal Election - from 72 per cent support in June 2019 to 57 per cent in January 2020.

Lead researcher Professor Nicolas Biddle said the poll asked a nationally representative sample of more than 3,000 Australians about their views on a range of environmental issues in the wake of the country's unprecedented recent bushfires.

"Around half of respondents said the environment was the most important or second most important issue - compared to almost 42 per cent in October 2019," he said.

"There was a large increase in the amount of people who said global warming or the greenhouse effect would have an effect on them - 72 per cent in January 2020 compared to 56 per cent in 2008.

"There was also a general increase in the predicted impact and seriousness of a range of environmental issues, over both the short and the long term."

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