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Influencers take a stance on the upcoming 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum

Menchie Khairuddin September 28, 2023

2 min read

Over the past 90 days, more than 800 influencers take to Instagram to share where they stand when it comes to the Voice referendum.

AI analytics platform HypeAuditor, for brands seeking fair, transparent, and effective influencer marketing, analyses how influencers and brands are taking a stance on social media about the Australian Indigenous Voice referendum taking place on October 14.

Since the referendum was announced in 2022, it has been a contentious topic in the media, in parliament and within different community groups. As voting day approaches, tensions rise misinformation spreads and public figures including politicians are trying to sway the voters.

“The Australian Indigenous Voice referendum will be such a critical point in the country’s history that it is not surprising to see the level of interest it has garnered over social media,” said HypeAuditor CEO and Co-Founder Alex Frolov.

According to the latest Resolve Political Monitor survey, 58 per cent of voters aged 18 to 35 are strong yes supporters to enshrine an Indigenous consultative body in the Constitution. However, opinion polls suggest that most Australians do not and that the majority is growing – 43% Yes vs. 57% No.

Brands and influencers are increasingly taking to social media to take a stance as well as to influence their followers to follow suit. According to HypeAuditor’s 2023 State of Influencer Report, Instagram remains crucial for Aussie brands due to its large and active user base, with more than 12 million monthly active users in the market.

The past three months have been 1,773 posts on Instagram about the referendum, shared by a total of 805 influencers, reaching over 4.5 million people. 87.5% of the Instagram posts included the #VoteYes hashtag and only 2.5% were against the referendum and used the #VoteNo hashtag in their social media posts.

73 per cent of the influencers to post about where they stand when it comes to the Voice to Parliament are nano influencers, with a follower count between 1,000 and 10,000. Nano influencers represent the largest category of all content creators on Instagram and TikTok and they maintain the top spot when it comes to having the strongest connection with their audience, with an Engagement Rate (ER) of 2.78% on Instagram and of 12.6% on TikTok. ER on Instagram shows how good the quality of the posts is and how well an account interacts with its followers. A good Instagram engagement rate is between 2-3% and anything above 3% is considered high engagement.

Below is a list of the top 5 influencers who have been posting favourably about the Voice:

Celeste Barber
Courtney Act
Melissa Leong
Api Robin
Em Rusciano

“While many influencers, brands and organisations might have deliberately chosen to remain silent in this discussion at the beginning, we can clearly see a turning point on social media as voting day approaches and tensions mount,” added Frolov.

Menchie Khairuddin

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Menchie Khairuddin is a writer Deputy Content Manager at Akolade and content producer for Third Sector News. She is passionate about social affairs specifically in mixed, multicultural heritage and not-for-profit organisations.