Views of China

The sharp decline in the Australia–China relationship in recent years has been clearly mirrored in Australian public opinion, as seen in successive Lowy Institute Polls. Trust, warmth and confidence in China and China’s leaders started to decline in 2017, and this year’s results present another record low for Australians’ views of China. In 2021, even views of China’s economic growth — historically a positive for Australians — have now shifted into negative territory.

For the first time, Australians see China’s economic growth as having a negative influence

The year of economic and political disputes between Australia and China has left its mark. In a conspicuous shift, the majority of Australians (63%) now see China as ‘more of a security threat to Australia’. This is a substantial 22-point increase from 2020. Only 34% say China is ‘more of an economic partner to Australia’, 21 points lower than in 2020. In 2018, 82% of Australians saw China as more of an economic partner, responding to a question worded slightly differently.^*

Almost all Australians (93%) see China’s military activities in our region as having a negative influence on their views of China, a 14-point increase from 2016. Only 5% say China’s military activities have a positive influence. This concern about military activities may have contributed to the large increase in the number of Australians who view ‘a military conflict between the United States and China over Taiwan’ as a critical threat to Australia’s vital interests over the next ten years (52%, up 17 points).

When asked to assign responsibility for the tensions in the Australia–China relationship, the majority of Australians (56%) say ‘China is more to blame’ than Australia. One-third (38%) say that Australia and China are equally to blame. Almost none (4%) say ‘Australia is more to blame’, despite holding reservations about the government’s handling of the relationship. The majority of Australians (56%) see ‘Australia–China relations’ as a critical threat to Australia’s vital interests. And in further evidence of souring attitudes, eight in ten Australians (82%) responding to a separate Lowy Institute survey in November 2020 said that they were concerned about China’s influence on Australia’s political processes, a 19-point increase from 2018.

Views of China’s system of government have also deteriorated further: in 2021, 92% say ‘China’s system of government’ has a negative influence on their views of China, a 19-point increase from 2016. China’s early handling of the Covid-19 outbreak may have been a factor, with 68% of Australians saying in April 2020 that China’s handling of the Covid-19 outbreak had made them feel ‘less favourable’ towards China’s system of government.^*

Even in relation to China’s strong economic growth story, Australian attitudes have shifted significantly in recent years. In 2021, less than half the population (47%) say China’s economic growth has a positive influence on their view of China, a steep 28-point fall since 2016.

These striking shifts in public sentiment on China are sometimes ascribed to negative reporting by the Australian media. According to a November 2020 survey, many Australians (61%) say Australian media reporting about China is ‘fair and balanced’. A quarter (26%) say that reporting is ‘too negative’, while 10% say it is ‘too positive’.

While Australian views of China have cooled overall in recent years, most Australians remain positive about Chinese people and China’s culture and history. Three-quarters of Australians (76%) say ‘Chinese people [they] have met’ have positively influenced their view of China (down 9 points since 2016: see Methodology on p. 45 for details of changes in mode).

Seven in ten Australians (68%) say China’s culture and history have a positive influence on their view of China, an 11-point decline from 2016.

Chinese investment in Australia has been unpopular for some time, but attitudes have hardened further in the past five years. In 2021, only one in five Australians (20%) say that Chinese investment has a positive influence on their view of China, a 17-point decline from 2016. While the majority of Australians oppose any entity controlled by a foreign government having a controlling stake in an Australian company, this is particularly clear in relation to the Chinese government (92% opposed) and the Hong Kong government (86% opposed).

Australians remain unimpressed by China’s environmental policies, despite its recent commitment to net-zero emissions by 2060.^* Only 17% of Australians say China’s environmental policies have a positive influence on their views of China, unchanged from 2016. Eight in ten Australians (82%) say China is doing ‘too little’ in its efforts to combat climate change.

Australians are divided as to whether to boycott the Beijing Olympics

The vast majority of Australians have also expressed concerns about China’s human rights record over the history of the Lowy Institute Poll. As debate about China’s hosting of the Winter Olympics in 2022 escalates, a bare majority (51%) say Australia should attend the Beijing Olympics. Less than half (45%) say Australia ‘should not attend because of China’s human rights record’.