World leaders and countries
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Australian views of Russia have plummeted. Only 5% of Australians say they trust Russia ‘somewhat’ or ‘a great deal’ to act responsibly in the world. This represents a 21-point fall from 2021, and marks Russia displacing China as the least trusted country for Australians.
Most Australians continue to hold very low levels of trust in China, with 12% saying they trust China somewhat or a great deal, a 40-point decrease since 2018. A bare majority of Australians (51%) trust Indonesia, which is steady from 2021. Trust in India has declined somewhat, with 56% saying they trust India to act responsibly in the world, a five-point fall in the past year.
Trust in the United States has rebounded from its historic low levels in 2019 and 2020. Two-thirds of Australians (65%) trust the United States to act responsibly. This result is stable from 2021, but remains 18 points below the levels of trust expressed towards the United States in 2009 and 2011 (83%).
Japan and the United Kingdom rank at the top of the list of countries in 2022, with 87% of Australians saying they trust Japan and the United Kingdom to act responsibly in the world. Despite recent tensions in Australia’s relationship with France following the AUKUS announcement, eight in ten Australians (82%) trust France to act responsibly in the world. This remains steady from 2018, the last time that France was included in this list.
Australians’ dramatic decline in trust in Russia in 2022 corresponds with many Australians losing confidence in Russian President Vladimir Putin. Only 6% of Australians say they have ‘a lot’ or ‘some’ confidence in Putin to do the right thing regarding world affairs, which marks a ten-point decline since 2021. This places him at the same level as North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, who also inspires confidence in only 5% of Australians.
Only 11% of Australians say they have a lot or some confidence in President Xi Jinping to do the right thing regarding world affairs. This figure has halved since 2020 (22%) and has fallen by 32 points since 2018 (43%).
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern tops the list of global leaders again, with 87% expressing confidence in her (though this has fallen four points from 2021). Despite the bilateral tensions between Australia and France, the majority of Australians (67%) express confidence in French President Emmanuel Macron. Australians also hold high levels of confidence in Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, with 65% saying they have confidence in him. Six in ten Australians (59%) have confidence in Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, which is unchanged from 2021.
While trust and warmth towards the United States have increased in 2022, fewer Australians express confidence in US President Joe Biden than in 2021. Six in ten Australians (58%) say they have some or a lot of confidence in President Biden, an 11-point decrease from his inauguration year of 2021. This remains 28 points above the confidence expressed in former President Donald Trump in 2020 (30%).
41 questions match this theme
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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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World leaders and countries
Australia's best friend in Asia
Which one of the following countries is Australia’s best friend in Asia?
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World leaders and countries
Australia's best friend in the world
Which one of the following countries is Australia’s best friend in the world?
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Economic and trade policy
Support for free trade
Overall, do you personally think free trade is good or bad for each of the following:
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Security and defence
Tensions in the Australia-France relationship
Which country is more to blame for the tensions in the Australia–France relationship?
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Economic and trade policy
Australia's free trade negotiations
Thinking now about Australia’s approach to negotiating free trade agreements. On balance, do you think signing a free trade agreement with the following would be good or bad for Australia, or would it make no difference?
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World leaders and countries
Australian views of Brexit
Now a question about the United Kingdom and its vote to leave the European Union. Do you personally think the United Kingdom leaving the European Union will be a good thing or a bad thing for:
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Relations with the US and China
Relations with superpowers
Should the Australian government prioritise the United States or China, even if it may harm relations with the other?
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Economic and trade policy
World's leading economic powers
Today, which one of the following do you think is the world's leading economic power?
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World leaders and countries
Attitudes to Europe
Please say whether you personally agree or disagree with each of the following statements about Europe:
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Economic and trade policy
Foreign acquisitions of farmland
Are you personally in favour or against the Australian government allowing foreign companies to buy Australian farmland?
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World leaders and countries
United Kingdom and Brexit
Thinking about the European Union and the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom will vote in June on whether to remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union. Do you personally think the United Kingdom should
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World leaders and countries
United Kingdom leaving the European Union
Which one of the following statements comes closest to your own view about what might happen if the United Kingdom leaves the European Union? If the United Kingdom leaves the European Union:
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World leaders and countries
Admiration for world leaders
For each of the following leaders, please say whether you personally admire them a lot, admire them a little or you don't admire them at all.
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Australian foreign policy
Australia in the G20 and UNSC
Is the effort to host the G20 or hold a seat on the United Nations Security Council worth the cost for Australia?
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Economic and trade policy
Foreign investment in Australian real estate
Do you think the Australian government is allowing too much investment, about the right amount of investment, or not enough investment, from the following country or region?
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Economic and trade policy
North Asian free trade agreements
In 2014, Australia signed free trade agreements with Japan, Korea and China. On balance, do you personally think these kinds of free trade agreements are good or bad for the Australian economy and for Australia's relations with those countries, or do they make no difference?
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Australian foreign policy
Australia's bilateral relationships
In your opinion, are Australia's with the following countries improving, worsening, or staying about the same.