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United States: Alliance support slips but still strongUnited States: Alliance support slips but still strong
On 28 February, two days before this Poll went out to field, President Donald Trump announced that the US military had, alongside Israel, undertaken joint strike action against Iran. The US–Israeli strikes killed senior Iranian leaders and destroyed numerous missile and nuclear sites. Iran responded with attacks on oil and gas facilities across the Gulf and disrupted civilian shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
When asked whether they approve or disapprove of military strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, 49% of Australians say they approve and 50% say they disapprove. When asked whether they approve or disapprove of strikes on leadership targets to weaken or change the Iranian regime, 59% of Australians say they disapprove and 39% say they approve.
As the military campaign continued, the Lowy Institute commissioned a mini-poll, conducted from 18 May–2 June. Respondents were asked whether they approve or disapprove of the way President Trump has prosecuted the military campaign against Iran. Eight in ten Australians (80%) say they disapprove of the way President Trump has handled the military campaign, while two in ten (18%) say they approve.
Support for Australia’s alliance with the United States, known as ANZUS, has been the most resilient finding in the 22-year history of the Lowy Institute Poll. This year, support for the alliance is again strong, with nearly three-quarters of Australians (73%) saying it is either ‘very important’ or ‘fairly important’ to Australia’s security. This represents a seven-point drop from last year’s Poll and a ten-point drop from 2024, marking the sharpest sustained fall in support for the alliance in the history of the Poll. However, this year’s result remains ten points higher than the 2007 low, which was recorded during the Iraq War.
A clear majority of Australians (63%) say the United States would come to Australia’s defence in the event of an armed attack. But this represents a significant drop from previous years. In 2019, 2021, and 2022, close to three-quarters of Australians agreed with the statement ‘the United States would come to Australia’s defence if Australia were under threat’.
While a majority of Australians (55%) say they are either ‘strongly in favour’ or ‘somewhat in favour’ of the United States operating a military base in Australia, a significant minority (43%) are either ‘strongly against’ or ‘somewhat against’.
A narrow majority of Australians (51%) say Australia should distance itself from the United States under President Donald Trump, and 60% say they have ‘no confidence at all’ in the US president to do the right thing in world affairs.
Many Australians take issue with a range of President Trump’s policies. A significant majority (86%) say they disapprove of the use of tariffs to pressure other countries into complying with President Trump’s objectives. On the issue of mass deportation of undocumented migrants living in the United States, 62% of Australians say they disapprove. Almost six in ten (59%) say they disapprove of Mr Trump’s policy of demanding that allies spend more on defence. Almost all Australians (91%) say they disapprove of Mr Trump’s pressure on Denmark to hand over the self-governing territory of Greenland. On President Trump’s operation to capture Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, 65% say they disapprove. In line with these results, 65% of Australians say they would be less likely to travel to the United States under the current administration.
About the author
Charles Lyons-Jones
Charles Lyons-Jones is a Research Fellow in the Lowy Institute’s Foreign Policy and Public Opinion Program. He oversees the annual Lowy Institute Poll and the Global Diplomacy Index.
