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10 charts that reveal Australians' views on world affairs - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
The 2014 ANUpoll on Foreign Policy finds strong support for Australia's alliance with the United States, though a majority of Australians see our relationship with China as equally or more important.
US alliance remains popular
In recent days, Prime Minister Tony Abbott has agreed to a United States request for help to transport military equipment into northern Iraq. The ANUpoll finds Australians maintain strong support for the ANZUS alliance, with 81 per cent saying it is very important or fairly important to Australia's interests.
That figure is down a modest five points over the past 12 months.
Charles Miller from the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific says the finding is no surprise, with surveys since the 1990s consistently showing the alliance retains the support of a substantial number of Australians.
"I would expect that this will continue to be the case for the foreseeable future absent some truly wildcard event," he said.
Minority view China as military threat
Australia's relationship with China has also been in the spotlight recently, after Palmer United Party (PUP) leader Clive Palmer launched a scathing attack on the Chinese government, labelling them mongrels who shoot their own people. He subsequently apologised, but Tasmanian PUP Senator Jacqui Lambie refused to back down over her suggestions that China could invade Australia.
More than half of those polled by the ANU see China as an economic threat, but only three in 10 agree with Senator Lambie that it is a military threat.
"The 30 per cent of respondents who consider China to be a military threat appears to be a little lower than in similar polls conducted by the AES and Lowy recently, which found the corresponding figure to be over 50 per cent and over 40 per cent respectively," Dr Miller said.
"However, I think the difference lies more in the question wording – AES for instance ask whether China is likely to be a security threat, a broader term than this poll, which asks whether it is a military threat.
"Overall, the perception that China is a potential security threat to Australia has been subtly rising in recent years relative to the early 2000s, when most people's minds were on the threat from Islamist terrorism. However, this runs counter to the consensus amongst security experts, most of whom agree China is not a current threat."
Overall, a strong majority of poll respondents say China's growth is a positive development for Australia.
Andrew Carr from ANU's School of International Political and Strategic Studies says Australians are "rightly welcoming" of China's economic rise and "this is for the moment more important for them than any long-term risks it may present".
The poll finds Australians are evenly divided on whether the US or China is more important to Australia's interests, a finding the leader of the ANUpoll project, Ian McAllister, says highlights a key foreign policy challenge for Australia.
"Maintaining the delicate balance between Australia's long-term security alliance with the USA and Australia's trade links with China is perhaps the greatest foreign policy challenge for any Australian government," Professor McAllister said.
Indonesia seen as 'a friend, not an ally'
A majority of respondents see Indonesia as a friend of Australia but not an ally, and six in 10 Australians believe Indonesia has not assisted Australia's efforts to combat people-smuggling.
"The public's wariness towards Indonesia is partly based on the perception that Indonesia has not assisted Australia on reducing terrorism and in combating people smuggling," Professor McAllister said.
Foreign aid support dips
Support for Australia's foreign aid program has slipped, but remains strong at 75 per cent, down by 10 points since 2001.
"Support for humanitarian aid is softening generally but Australians still prefer humanitarian aid over aid for political or commercial ends," said Jill Sheppard from the ANU School of Politics and International Relations.
Australians retain favourable view of UN
The poll also examined Australians' views on a range of other international institutions, finding views of the United Nations were strongly favourable. However, other key bodies including the World Health Organisation, World Bank and World Trade Organisation did not engender the same levels of trust.
The 2014 ANUpoll on Foreign Policy finds strong support for Australia's alliance with the United States, though a majority of Australians see our relationship with China as equally or more important.
US alliance remains popular
In recent days, Prime Minister Tony Abbott has agreed to a United States request for help to transport military equipment into northern Iraq. The ANUpoll finds Australians maintain strong support for the ANZUS alliance, with 81 per cent saying it is very important or fairly important to Australia's interests.
That figure is down a modest five points over the past 12 months.
Charles Miller from the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific says the finding is no surprise, with surveys since the 1990s consistently showing the alliance retains the support of a substantial number of Australians.
"I would expect that this will continue to be the case for the foreseeable future absent some truly wildcard event," he said.
Minority view China as military threat
Australia's relationship with China has also been in the spotlight recently, after Palmer United Party (PUP) leader Clive Palmer launched a scathing attack on the Chinese government, labelling them mongrels who shoot their own people. He subsequently apologised, but Tasmanian PUP Senator Jacqui Lambie refused to back down over her suggestions that China could invade Australia.
More than half of those polled by the ANU see China as an economic threat, but only three in 10 agree with Senator Lambie that it is a military threat.
"The 30 per cent of respondents who consider China to be a military threat appears to be a little lower than in similar polls conducted by the AES and Lowy recently, which found the corresponding figure to be over 50 per cent and over 40 per cent respectively," Dr Miller said.
"However, I think the difference lies more in the question wording – AES for instance ask whether China is likely to be a security threat, a broader term than this poll, which asks whether it is a military threat.
"Overall, the perception that China is a potential security threat to Australia has been subtly rising in recent years relative to the early 2000s, when most people's minds were on the threat from Islamist terrorism. However, this runs counter to the consensus amongst security experts, most of whom agree China is not a current threat."
Overall, a strong majority of poll respondents say China's growth is a positive development for Australia.
Andrew Carr from ANU's School of International Political and Strategic Studies says Australians are "rightly welcoming" of China's economic rise and "this is for the moment more important for them than any long-term risks it may present".
The poll finds Australians are evenly divided on whether the US or China is more important to Australia's interests, a finding the leader of the ANUpoll project, Ian McAllister, says highlights a key foreign policy challenge for Australia.
"Maintaining the delicate balance between Australia's long-term security alliance with the USA and Australia's trade links with China is perhaps the greatest foreign policy challenge for any Australian government," Professor McAllister said.
Indonesia seen as 'a friend, not an ally'
A majority of respondents see Indonesia as a friend of Australia but not an ally, and six in 10 Australians believe Indonesia has not assisted Australia's efforts to combat people-smuggling.
"The public's wariness towards Indonesia is partly based on the perception that Indonesia has not assisted Australia on reducing terrorism and in combating people smuggling," Professor McAllister said.
Foreign aid support dips
Support for Australia's foreign aid program has slipped, but remains strong at 75 per cent, down by 10 points since 2001.
"Support for humanitarian aid is softening generally but Australians still prefer humanitarian aid over aid for political or commercial ends," said Jill Sheppard from the ANU School of Politics and International Relations.
Australians retain favourable view of UN
The poll also examined Australians' views on a range of other international institutions, finding views of the United Nations were strongly favourable. However, other key bodies including the World Health Organisation, World Bank and World Trade Organisation did not engender the same levels of trust.
