In 2026, 68% of Australians said they were in favour of acquiring nuclear-powered submarines.

Under AUKUS, the trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, Australia will purchase three-to-five Virginia-class submarines from the United States before developing alongside the United Kingdom a new class of conventionally armed but nuclear-powered submarines to be known as the SSN-AUKUS. Australia plans to begin building its first SSN-AUKUS at the Osborne Naval Shipyard in Adelaide, South Australia, by the end of this decade.

Support for Australia’s acquisition of conventionally armed but nuclear-powered submarines through AUKUS held firm in this year’s Poll. Almost seven in ten Australians (68%) say they are either ‘strongly in favour’ or ‘somewhat in favour’ of the acquisition. Only 29% of Australians say they are either ‘somewhat against’ or ‘strongly against’ the program, a three-point drop from last year’s Poll.