Australians back nuclear-powered submarines deal despite US review of AUKUS
12 June 2025
Most Australians continue to support Australia acquiring nuclear-powered submarines, amid the news that the Trump administration will carry out a 30-day review of the AUKUS arrangement.
The 2025 edition of the Lowy Institute Poll, which will be released on Monday 16 June, shows that two-thirds of Australians (67%) remain either ‘somewhat’ or ‘strongly’ in favour of acquiring nuclear-powered submarines — the deal at the centre of the AUKUS pact.
Support has remained steady compared to 2022 (70%), shortly after AUKUS was announced.
Fewer than one-third of Australians (32%) are ‘somewhat against’ or ‘strongly against’ acquiring nuclear-powered submarines.
“Over the past four years, the Lowy Institute Poll has shown that Australians’ support for acquiring nuclear-powered submarines remains strong,” said Lowy Institute Executive Director Dr Michael Fullilove.
“Most Australians believe this arrangement is in our national interest. Now the government needs to ensure that the Trump administration understands that it is also in America’s national interest.”
The 2025 Lowy Institute Poll reports the results of a nationally representative survey of 2,117 Australian residents aged 18 and above, conducted between 3 and 16 March on behalf of the Lowy Institute by the Social Research Centre.
On a simple random sample of 2,117 responses, the margin of error is approximately 2.1%.
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