Observation
The Lowy Institute ‘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 again at a very warm 85° in 2025, a position it has held in all of the 15 years it has been included. Australians continue to feel very warmly towards Japan (76°), the United Kingdom (75°), and Singapore (72°), and warmly towards Germany (68°), South Korea, and Taiwan (both at 63°) — all steady on their previous readings. Australians remain relatively warm towards Ukraine (61°).
Feelings remain steady towards Indonesia (56°), and are lukewarm towards South Africa (52°, down seven degrees since its last reading in 2010) and India (51°), down three degrees from last year.
The largest shift this year, however, was a nine-degree drop in warmth towards the United States (50°), accompanying the sharp decline in trust towards the country. This continues a cooling towards the United States since 2022 (65°), and is in stark contrast to its warmest reading on the thermometer in 2015 (73°).
Meanwhile, cool feelings towards China (37°) thawed by three degrees, a small improvement from a low of 32° four years ago, which was registered during China’s diplomatic rupture with Australia. Before 2019, China consistently registered above 50° on the feelings thermometer.
Australian attitudes towards Iran (27°) and Russia (22°) remain frosty, while Australians reserve their iciest feelings for North Korea (16°).