Australians hold a relatively dim view of the US, new survey shows

Australians tend to believe the US is dangerous and unstable, having among the lowest overall opinions of America compared to 22 other major nations.

Almost as many Australians said they held an unfavourable view of the US (47 per cent) as favourable (52 per cent), according to a new survey. Pictured: Anthony Albanese with US President Joe Biden. Picture: Getty Images

Australians tend to believe the US is dangerous, unstable, intolerant and undemocratic, having among the lowest overall opinions of America compared to 22 other major nations according to a new global survey conducted by Pew Research.

Almost as many Australians said they held an unfavourable view of the US (47 per cent) as favourable (52 per cent), giving Australia the second lowest net favourability rating of the US behind Hungary and ahead of France.

“Opinion of the US is especially positive in Poland and Israel … Poland’s views of the US improved dramatically last year after the start of the war in Ukraine and remain high this year,” the respected US polling firm said.

“A 23-nation median of 59 per cent have a favourable view of the US, while only 30 per cent have an unfavourable view,” Pew said, based on an international survey of more than 27,000 people from February to May.

Australians held a relatively dim view of the US across multiple specific dimensions, especially stability, tolerance and safety.

The findings emerged as a separate poll conducted by the Lowy Institute found three-quarters of Australians thought the alliance with the US made it more likely Australia would be drawn into a war with China.

“Anxieties about the prospect of war between the United States and China remain pronounced. In the event of such a conflict, more than half of Australians say Australia should remain neutral,” Lowy said in its regular survey of Australians’ attitudes to foreign policy published last week.

A greater share of respondents (44 per cent) in Australia felt the US was “less politically stable than other wealthy nations” than in any other surveyed nation – only 14 per cent of Australians said it was more stable.

“Opinion in the Asia-Pacific region is also somewhat mixed. About four-in-ten in South Korea say the US is more politically stable, as do about a third in India, Indonesia and Japan,” Pew said.

Only 5 per cent of Australians said they thought the US was “a less dangerous place to live” than other wealthy nations compared with 65 per cent who said it was more dangerous – the lowest and highest shares across the 23 nations surveyed, respectively.

“Assessments of US democracy relative to other countries are generally positive, though Australians on balance say the US is less democratic,” it added.

The findings point to a potential challenge for Australian political leaders as the nation embarks on a strengthened military alliance with the US through the AUKUS security pact, which envisages Australia’s acquisition of a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines using US and UK nuclear technology in the 2030s.

The perception that China was the “world’s leading economic power” had declined sharply in most nations surveyed over the last few years, although Australians remained in economic awe of our biggest trading partner.

Half said China was the world’s top economy, rather than the 39 per cent of Australians who nominated the US, which was the top choice in 17 of the other 22 nations surveyed. Only Italians thought more highly of the Chinese economy.

Majorities of Australians said they believed the US was a force for good in world affairs, and had confidence in President Joe Biden, reflecting similar proportions across the 23 nations surveyed.