Female voters abandoning the coalition at the last election may have cost the party another term in power, but three years on, women are more likely to back the Liberals under Peter Dutton.
The latest YouGov poll for January, provided to AAP, showed more female voters supported the coalition than the Labor government under Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
The poll showed 37 per cent of women surveyed backed the coalition in their primary vote, compared with 31 per cent for Labor.
Gender voter intentions for next federal election, according to a YouGov survey. (Aap Image/AAP PHOTOS)
Comparatively, 40 per cent of men would be likely to vote for the Liberals and Nationals, compared with 33 per cent for the government.
But female voters were more likely to say Mr Albanese would make the better prime minister compared to Mr Dutton, with the Labor leader ahead 42 per cent to 37 per cent on the metric among women.
It was a tie between men as to who of the two major party leaders would make the best prime minister, level on 44 per cent.
The 2022 federal election saw large numbers of female voters take their vote away from the coalition, leading to the rise of teal independents in many inner-city electorates.
More voters were dissatisfied with the performance of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. (Aap Image/AAP PHOTOS)
The Australian National University's 2022 Australian Election Study found 36 per cent of women backed Labor at the last national poll, compared to 32 per cent for the coalition.
Polling from YouGov showed women were more pessimistic about their economic outlook compared to men in the lead up to the election.
It found 64 per cent of women surveyed said they were barely getting by or going backwards, while 36 per cent said their financial situation was improving.
That was compared to 58 per cent of men saying their finances were getting worse while 42 per cent were positive about their economic concerns.
The cost of living will be a critical factor for voters at the ballot box, an expert says. (Aap Image/AAP PHOTOS)
YouGov's director of polling Amir Daftari said people's financial situation would be a critical factor for voters at the ballot box.
"There is little to no ideological contest in this election, and people may vote the current government out simply to see if it improves their situation," he told AAP.
"The coalition has opted for a dead-cat strategy, now introducing the nuclear proposition, which they may come to regret losing the greater opportunity to appeal to more voters.
"This is evident with Dutton's uninspiring personal rating and Albo still topping the preferred PM."
The next federal election is due to be held by mid-May at the latest, with the YouGov poll showing a slight lead for the coalition at 51 per cent to 49 per cent among all voters on a two-party preferred basis.