Covid-19 pandemic
Australians are now far less likely to see Covid-19 as a threat to Australia’s interests than in previous years. Public attitudes towards various countries’ approaches to the pandemic have also shifted. Australians are overwhelmingly positive about New Zealand’s handling of the pandemic, with 92% saying they have handled it ‘very well’ or ‘fairly well’. Most Australians (84%) say Singapore has also handled the pandemic well. Eight in ten Australians (80%) continue to say that Australia has handled the pandemic well, though this is a 15-point decline from 2021. The strength of that sentiment has also shifted substantially, with only 24% of Australians saying that Australia has handled the pandemic ‘very well’ in 2022, compared to 65% in 2021.
Australians have mixed views of China’s handling of the pandemic, with 45% saying China has handled Covid-19 well and 54% saying it has been handled badly. The number of Australians who say China has handled Covid-19 well is unchanged since 2021, but is 14 points higher than Australians’ initial response to China’s handling of Covid-19 in 2020. The 2022 survey was fielded prior to the recent lockdowns in Shanghai and other cities in China.
In previous polling, Australians have had a very poor view of how the United States and the United Kingdom have handled the pandemic. This has improved in 2022, from a low base. Four in ten (39%) s ay the United Kingdom has handled the pandemic well, an increase of 20 points from 2021.
The United States continues to sit at the bottom of this list of countries, with 25% saying the United States has done well, an 18-point improvement since last year.
Following two years of closed borders during the pandemic, Australians appear to be shifting towards more openness and immigration. Seven in ten Australians (68%) say ‘Australia’s openness to people from all over the world is essential to who we are as a nation’, a 15-point increase from 2018. Fewer Australians (31%) now say ‘if Australia is too open to people from all over the world, we risk losing our identity as a nation’, a ten-point decline over the past four years.
There is a significant difference across generations on this question. Eight in ten Australians aged 18–44 (79%) see openness as essential to Australia’s identity, while this is a view held by 58% of Australians aged over 45.
The number of Australians calling for reduced immigration also appears to have declined over the course of the pandemic. When asked about restarting Australia’s immigration program now that borders have reopened, 46% say that the number of immigrants allowed into Australia should be ‘around the same as pre-Covid levels’. A third of Australians (33%) say immigration should be ‘lower than pre-Covid levels’, and 21% say ‘higher than pre-Covid levels’. In 2019, prior to the pandemic, in response to a different question, 47% of Australians said immigration levels were ‘too high’, while 40% said the rate of immigration was about right.
18 questions match this theme
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Covid-19 pandemic
Global responses to Covid-19
Overall, how well or badly do you think each of the following countries have handled the Covid-19 pandemic so far?
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Immigration and refugees
Post-pandemic immigration
Thinking now about the pause in Australia’s immigration during the pandemic. Now that borders have reopened, over the next 12 months, do you think the number of immigrants allowed into Australia should be:
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Security and defence
Threats to Australia's vital interests
Do you see the following possible threat as a critical threat, an important but not critical threat, or not an important threat to Australia's vital interests in the next ten years?
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World leaders and countries
Confidence in world leaders
How much confidence you have in the following leader to do the right thing regarding world affairs?
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Immigration and refugees
Immigration and national identity
Next, indicate whether the first statement or the second statement comes closer to your own views, even if neither is exactly right:
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Covid-19 pandemic
Border closures for Australians
Currently, Australians are not permitted to leave the country without applying for a special exemption. Which one of the following best describes your view?
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Covid-19 pandemic
Bringing Australians home
During the Covid-19 pandemic, do you think the Australian federal government has done too much, not enough or about the right amount to bring Australians home from overseas?
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Covid-19 pandemic
Foreign aid for Covid-19 vaccines
Now thinking about Australia helping other countries to access Covid-19 vaccines. Are you in favour or against Australia helping the following countries to pay for Covid-19 vaccines?
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China
China's economic future
Now about China. Please tell me which statement most closely matches your own opinion about China’s economy in the next five years.
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Covid-19 pandemic
China's system of government
Thinking about the way China has handled the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak, are you more or less favourable towards China’s system of government?
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Covid-19 pandemic
Global cooperation during crises
How has the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak changed your view, if at all, on global responses to international crises?
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Covid-19 pandemic
Global power in the post-crisis period
The world is currently going through a severe health and economic crisis. When the world recovers from this crisis do you think each of the following will be more powerful, less powerful or will they be just as powerful as they were before the crisis?
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Covid-19 pandemic
Response of authorities to Covid-19
Thinking now about the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak. Are you confident or not confident that each of the following is doing a good job responding to the coronavirus outbreak?
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Covid-19 pandemic
Sources of information during Covid-19
During the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak, which of the following do you prefer as your source of information? (up to three choices)
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United States
US presidential election
Which candidate would you prefer to see become President of the United States?
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Covid-19 pandemic
Willingness to travel
Thinking about when the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak is contained in the future, are you more or less likely to travel overseas than you were prior to the outbreak?
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