Subscribe to The Informer for monthly expert analysis, and to Events for advance notice of visiting world leaders and distinguished guests.
You may unsubscribe from Lowy Institute newsletters at any time. For information on our privacy practices and how to unsubscribe, see our Privacy Policy.
Subscribe to The Informer for monthly expert analysis, and to Events for advance notice of visiting world leaders and distinguished guests.
You may unsubscribe from Lowy Institute newsletters at any time. For information on our privacy practices and how to unsubscribe, see our Privacy Policy.
Feelings of safety
About the author
Ryan Neelam
Ryan Neelam was Director of the Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Program at the Lowy Institute. He led the flagship annual Lowy Institute Poll, was project director for the Global Diplomacy Index, and wrote about climate diplomacy and multilateral policy.
The Lowy Institute Poll shows that Australians feel the turmoil that has marked global affairs in recent years.
In 2020, Australians’ feelings of safety fell to historic lows. As the Covid-19 pandemic swept the world, only 50% of Australians said they felt ‘very safe’ or ‘safe’, the lowest result ever recorded by the Poll. Feelings of safety improved in 2021, but then fell again in 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In 2023, feelings of safety have recovered, with 63% of the population saying they feel ‘very safe’ or ‘safe’. While a ten-point improvement on last year, this remains significantly below the high watermark of 2010, when feelings of safety stood at 92%. Further, the number of Australians who feel ‘very safe’ today remains low at 6%, a mere seventh of the number who felt this way in 2010.
