More than half of Australians are concerned about US interference while support for defence spending has reached a new high, according to a nationwide poll that comes as friction mounts between the allies over issues such as trade.
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The survey released on Tuesday by the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology Sydney found that 54 per cent of respondents are worried about US influence on domestic affairs – a jump of nearly 20 percentage points since 2021. The increase has narrowed the gap with concern over interference from China and Russia, which has remained steady at around 64 per cent.
For the first time in the poll’s five-year history, more respondents believe the US – at 57 per cent – rather than China – at 51 per cent – would force Australia to pick sides in the rivalry between the two. Nearly two-thirds of respondents think the second Donald Trump presidency would make conflict with China more likely.
The poll found that 72 per cent of Australians believe the US uses trade to punish countries politically, up from 36 per cent last year and surpassing China for the first time in the survey’s history.
“This is a striking shift that shows Australians are aware pressure can come from allies, as well as rivals,” said Elena Collinson, senior project and research officer at the Australia-China Relations Institute. “Broadly speaking, the poll shows Australians’ views of China have softened since 2021.”
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The survey was conducted online among 2,045 adults and no margin of error was listed.