Observation
The ‘feelings thermometer’ measures Australians’ warmth towards other countries and territories on a scale of 0° (coldest feelings) to 100° (warmest feelings), with each score reflecting the mean of responses.
New Zealand has topped the feelings thermometer in every year it has been included, and 2024 is no exception with it registering 84°. Australians also continue to feel very warmly towards Japan (75°) and the United Kingdom (74°), and warmly towards Germany (69°), South Korea, and Taiwan (both at 64°) — all steady on their previous readings.
Southeast Asian and Pacific Islands countries occupied much of the upper-middle band of the thermometer, with Vietnam (63°), the Philippines (61°), Solomon Islands (60°), and Indonesia (56°) all stable on previous years.
While still warm, feelings towards the United States fell four degrees to 59°, its lowest reading in the 20-year history of this Poll, and down from an all-time high of 73° in 2015. Warmth towards Papua New Guinea also fell four degrees to 56°, while India slid four degrees to a lukewarm 54°.
Australians’ feelings towards China (34°) have remained consistently cold for the past four years, following a sharp cooling from 58° in 2018. This echoes the decline in trust in China and drop in confidence in its leader. Similarly, attitudes towards Russia plummeted following its invasion of Ukraine, and remain at a frosty 21°.
Feelings towards Iran dropped to 26°, eight degrees below its last rating in 2021. Australians reserved their coldest feelings for North Korea, which registered an icy 15°, steady from last year.