Trust in global powers and world leaders
Despite political re-engagement between Australia and China over the past two years, public sentiment towards China remains very low. Only 17% of Australians say they trust China ‘somewhat’ or ‘a great deal’ to act responsibly in the world. This is steady from 2023 and a minor increase on 2022, when trust in China reached a record low (12%). However, it still stands in sharp contrast to just six years ago, when half (52%) of Australians trusted China.
On a list of eight countries, only Russia (8%) elicits less trust from Australians, a ranking it has held since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
For the fourth year in a row, Australians ranked Japan as the most trusted foreign country on the list (87%). France (81%) and the United Kingdom (80%) were the next most trusted countries, remaining in the top three.
In the lead-up to the 2024 US presidential election, levels of trust in the United States dropped a further five points from 2023 to 56%, continuing a decline that now puts it at nine points below 2022 (65%), in the second year of the Biden presidency.
India (56%) and Indonesia (52%) remain largely steady in the middle of the group.
China trust very low
Australians’ level of trust in the United States dropped five points to 56 per cent, and confidence in President Joe Biden slid 13 points to 46%. But two-thirds of Australians would prefer to see Joe Biden re-elected in this year’s presidential election, while one in three would prefer Donald Trump to return to the White House.
“Over the past two decades, the world has changed, and Australians’ attitudes along with it,” said Dr Michael Fullilove, Executive Director of the Lowy Institute. “In 2005, most Australians felt safe. They felt optimistic about China’s rise. Today, Australians are far less trusting of China and they are worried about the risk of war in our region. One constant is that they continue to see the alliance with the United States as important to Australia’s security.”
While 62 per cent of Australians say they feel safe, more than 70 per cent are concerned about cyberattacks from other countries. Potential conflicts over Taiwan and the South China Sea also loom large as threats, more so than distant conflicts in Ukraine or the Middle East.
“Australians’ views on security, defence and alliances remain complex,” said Ryan Neelam, Director of the Lowy Institute’s Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Program. “Many Australians remain wary towards China, despite re-engagement at the political level. Overall, trust in China remains low, and threat perceptions remain high. The public is roughly divided on whether Australia should prioritise maintaining stability or deterring China.”
Other key findings include:
Cyberattacks from other countries remain the top-ranked threat to Australia’s vital interests, according to Australians. Potential conflicts over Taiwan and the South China Sea also loom large in the public psyche, more so than distant conflicts in Ukraine or the Middle East.
- Nine in ten Australians see cultural diversity as a positive for the country. But nearly half (48%) say the number of migrants coming to Australia is too high, while 40% say immigration levels are about right.
- A majority of Australians (57%) say global warming is a serious and pressing problem about which we should begin taking steps now, even if this involves significant costs. But as cost-of-living pressures bite, there has been a strong swing towards a focus on reducing household energy bills and away from reducing emissions.
- Six in ten Australians (61%) now support nuclear power, while 37% oppose it. This is a significant shift from more negative attitudes towards nuclear power more than a decade ago.
- Two-thirds of Australians think the government’s renewable energy target is ‘about right’ (41%) or ‘not ambitious enough’ (25%). One-third say the target is ‘too ambitious’.
Now in its 20th edition, the Lowy Institute’s flagship annual poll is the longest-running and broadest survey of Australian public opinion on the world. For two decades, it has revealed changing attitudes and played an influential role in the public debate on foreign policy. The 2024 results, along with historical data and comparative analysis, are available at the interactive site poll.lowyinstitute.org.
