Nuclear-powered submarines and regional stability

The Australian government recently announced that Australia will acquire a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. These submarines will be powered by nuclear energy but will not carry nuclear weapons. Do you think Australia’s acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines under AUKUS will:

Deter military conflictand help ensure stabilityin the Indo-Pacificregion 28Make no difference 32Increase the risk of militaryconflict and instability inthe Indo-Pacific region 20Don’t know 20

This question was asked in a separate April 2023 survey - see 2023 Methodology.

  • Deter military conflict and help ensure stability in the Indo-Pacific region
  • Make no difference
  • Increase the risk of military conflict and instability in the Indo-Pacific region
  • Don’t know
Total
All groups