The finalisation of the government’s asylum-seeker deal with Malaysia has prompted a spike in opposition to it, according to today’s Essential Report.

A week after details of the deal were announced, there is now significantly greater opposition than support for it than in mid-June, when voters were last asked whether they supported the arrangement to send 800 asylum seekers to Malaysia in exchange for 4000 addition places in Australia’s humanitarian program. Fifty three per cent now oppose the deal and 39% support it, compared to 40% support and 39% opposition in June. The big fall in support has come from Liberal voters, among whom 25% now support the deal compared to 40% in June, and Greens voters, down from 27% to 19%; Labor voters have actually increased support for the deal from 47% to 50%.

Support for the government’s carbon pricing package is flat despite a continuing information campaign since of the announcement of the package details: support remains at 39%, the same level as reported on July 18; opposition has increased two points to 51%. Voters are saying the issue is a significant one in voting intention: 30% say it’s very important and 29% somewhat important, with Liberal and Greens voters more inclined to regard it as a key influence on how they vote.

Following recent attention on Tony Abbott’s flip-flopping on climate change, Essential also asked what voters thought Abbott actually believed and 27% said they think Abbott believes in climate change (mainly Liberal voters); 19% said they think he doesn’t, and 31% think he doesn’t care whether it’s real or not.

Essential also asked which institutions people trusted with their personal information. While sections of the mainstream media campaign against any right to privacy by individuals, the media is the least trusted institution: only 2% of voters say they had a “lot of trust” in the media to handle  personal information appropriately, and 14% said “some trust”; 47% have “no trust” in the media to handle personal information appropriately. In fact, people trust even online companies significantly more than the media. Foreign companies were also not trusted — 1% had a “lot”, 18% “some” and 41% no trust. Political parties — which are exempt from the Privacy Act — were next worst — 2% had a lot, 20% had some some and 40% no trust.

The most trusted, by far, was the medical profession, with 39% saying they had a lot of trust and 40% saying “some trust”; the banks were next — 19% and 40% — and then governments on 12% and 38%.

On voting intention, Labor’s micro-rally of recent weeks has ended; the Liberals are up one point (49%), Labor is down 1 (31%) and the Greens are still on 11%. The 2PP is back to 56-44.