Publications

Australians speak 2005: public opinion and foreign policy

Ivan Cook

Summary

The Lowy Institute Poll is the most comprehensive single survey ever taken of Australian public opinion on foreign policy. The report, Australians Speak 2005: Public Opinion and Foreign Policy, contains insights on issues ranging from Australian defence policy to relations with our friends and allies and our involvement in Iraq.

The 2005 Poll is the first of a regular Lowy Institute series which not only takes a snapshot of Australian views at a particular moment, but will also enable us to track changes in public attitudes over time. The Data Book containing the raw results of the survey is also available for download.

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The 2010 Lowy Institute Poll

The sixth annual Lowy Institute Poll surveys Australian public opinion on a range of foreign policy issues. New questions this year cover the Rudd Government’s handling of foreign policy issues during its first term in office, whether Australia should develop nuclear weapons, attitudes towards Indonesia and US power, sanctions against Fiji and the morality of Australia’s foreign policy.

The Poll also repeated questions asked in previous years, revealing trends in public opinion on topics such as climate change, Australia’s military involvement in Afghanistan, and attitudes towards the United States and China.

A panel discussion about the poll can be heard here:
The 2010 Lowy Institute Poll - MP3 (23MB)Download item (1.3MB)

Power and choice: Asian security futures

Recent events in the seas off South Korea and Japan emphasise the fragility of Asia’s security order and the strains the region’s changing power distribution are placing on it. A new major Lowy Institute Asia Security Project report, 'Power and Choice: Asian Security Futures', analyses the likely security futures for Asia and Australia and recommends steps countries should take to ensure growing regional competition does not lead to conflict. This report was made possible by the generous support for the Project by the MacArthur Foundation.

A copy of the report, launched by Dennis Richardson, AO, the Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on 1 June, can be downloaded here.Download item (6.5MB)