Observation
Almost all Australians (93%) see China’s military activities in our region as having a negative influence on their views of China, a 14-point increase from 2016. Only 5% say China’s military activities have a positive influence. This concern about military activities may have contributed to the large increase in the number of Australians who view ‘a military conflict between the United States and China over Taiwan’ as a critical threat to Australia’s vital interests over the next ten years (52%, up 17 points). Views of China’s system of government have also deteriorated further: in 2021, 92% say ‘China’s system of government’ has a negative influence on their views of China, a 19-point increase from 2016. China’s early handling of the Covid-19 outbreak may have been a factor, with 68% of Australians saying in April 2020 that China’s handling of the Covid-19 outbreak had made them feel ‘less favourable’ towards China’s system of government. Even in relation to China’s strong economic growth story, Australian attitudes have shifted significantly in recent years. In 2021, less than half the population (47%) say China’s economic growth has a positive influence on their view of China, a steep 28-point fall since 2016. While Australian views of China have cooled overall in recent years, the vast majority of Australians remain positive about Chinese people and China’s culture and history. Three-quarters of Australians (76%) say ‘Chinese people [they] have met’ have positively influenced their view of China (down 9 points since 2016).
Seven in ten Australians (68%) say China’s culture and history have a positive influence on their view of China, an 11-point decline from 2016.
Chinese investment in Australia has been unpopular for some time, but attitudes have hardened further in the past five years. In 2021, only one in five Australians (20%) says that Chinese investment has a positive influence on their view of China, a 17-point decline from 2016. Australians remain unimpressed by China’s environmental policies, despite its recent commitment to net-zero emissions by 2060. Only 17% of Australians say China’s environmental policies have a positive influence on their views of China, unchanged from 2016.