Tony Abbott's insistence that the election will be a ''referendum on the carbon tax'' has been undermined by polling showing just a third of voters support the Coalition's plan to abolish the tax.
Fewer voters want to see the carbon tax removed now than before it took effect on July 1 last year.
Nearly half the voters, or 48 per cent, wanted the tax scrapped a year ago.
But a poll of 1009 people, conducted by JWS Research for the Climate Institute, found just 37 per cent of them now supported the Coalition's intention to wind the tax back in favour of its ''Direct Action'' policy, which involves paying companies to reduce emissions.
Even fewer people – 34 per cent – would back an Abbott government calling a double dissolution election to fulfil its ''pledge in blood'' to repeal the tax.
Less than half the Coalition voters would back Mr Abbott taking Australia back to the polls.
JWS pollster John Scales said the Opposition Leader had failed to convince people carbon pricing should be scrapped because two-thirds of Australians believed climate change was real.
Climate change believers accounted for 66 per cent of voters compared with 64 per cent a year ago.
Mr Scales said: ''The Coalition's complaint that everyone wants to get rid of the carbon tax is not backed up by the numbers.''
He said more voters wanted to see the tax ''fixed up'' than those who supported the tree-planting, soil carbon capture and direct subsidies proposed by the Coalition.
''People are confused by direct action,'' Mr Scales said.