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Feelings of safety
About the author
Natasha Kassam
Natasha Kassam was Director of the Lowy Institute's Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Program from 2019 to 2022, directing the annual Lowy Institute Poll and researching China’s politics, Taiwan, and Australia-China relations.
Australians’ sense of safety has been up and down in recent years as people have reacted to the course of the pandemic and to global uncertainty. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and instability closer to home also appear to be having an effect on public opinion, with the survey fielded in March, soon after the war in Ukraine started. In 2022, a bare majority of Australians (53%) say they feel ‘very safe’ or ‘safe’, a 17-point drop from 2021 (70%). This is only marginally higher than the record low of Australians feeling safe in 2020, during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic. This year’s result is a striking 39 points below the high point of feelings of safety in 2008 and 2010 (92%).
