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China: economic partner or security threat

+11 from 2025

In 2026, 61% said China was more of an economic partner than a security threat to Australia.

Question China: economic partner or security threat

In your own view, is China more of an economic partner or more of a security* threat to Australia?

  1. 0%
  2. 25%
  3. 50%
  4. 75%
More of an economic partner to Australia
61
More of a security threat to Australia
36
Both equally
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In 2015, 2017 and 2018, the question asked if China was ‘more of a military threat’.

Total
All groups

2026 observation

In this year’s Poll, a clear majority of Australians (61%) say they see China more as an economic partner than a security threat, an 11-point increase since 2025. This finding marks one of the largest swings in sentiment in this year’s Poll.

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