Canberra, Jan 24 (IANS): A new survey published on Monday has revealed that Australian voters have rated cost of living and healthcare as their biggest issues ahead of this year's general elections.

According to the YouGov survey published by News Corp Australia, 50 per cent of respondents said the cost of food, petrol and household bills will determine how they vote in the elections, reports Xinhua news agency.

The cost of living was followed by healthcare, the economy, and climate change as the next biggest issues, with 37, 34 and 32 per cent of participants identifying them as key issues, respectively.

Almost half of the respondents, 43 per cent, said they do not consider themselves supporters of any particular party.

The general election for the 47th Parliament of Australia is due to be held in the first half of 2022, with experts predicting a May poll.

Recent surveys have found the opposition Labor Party holds a significant lead over the governing Coalition, which has been in power since 2013.

The YouGov survey also found that young Australians and those who earn more than A$100,000 per year were more likely to be concerned about climate change.

Older Australians rated the economy and healthcare as their biggest issues.

A separate poll published by Nine Entertainment newspapers corroborated YouGov's findings, with 86 per cent of respondents rating cost of living as important to their decision on how to vote.

The Resolve Political Monitor found 29 per cent of voters believe the Coalition is better-equipped to keep the cost of living costs down compared to 28 per cent for Labor.