Programs & Projects

The Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Program

The Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Program

To inform the public debate on Australia’s foreign policy, the Lowy Institute has sought the views of the Australian public on foreign policy since 2005. The Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Program also conducts polls in important neighbouring countries, and more recently, has started to survey diaspora communities in Australia.

The annual Lowy Institute Poll is one of the Lowy Institute’s flagship publications. It is the leading tracking survey on Australian foreign policy, providing a reliable vehicle for understanding Australian attitudes towards a wide range of foreign policy issues, while being independent and methodologically rigorous.

Over the course of the past decade, the Poll has uncovered significant shifts in public sentiment, including towards our most important neighbours and partners. It has tracked attitudes on important international issues ranging from climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic, to Australia’s relationships with China and the United States.

One of the best ways to explore the data from our eighteen years of polling is through our interactive site. Copies of the previous Lowy Institute polls are available here.

The Lowy Institute continues to conduct influential polls in several of our most important neighbours in the Asia-Pacific, including Indonesia (2006, 2011 and 2021), India (2013), New Zealand (2007 and 2012), China (2009) and Fiji (2011).

Through the Multiculturalism, Identity and Influence Project, the Lowy Institute has also conducted surveys of Chinese-Australian communities in 2020 and 2021. The ground-breaking Being Chinese in Australia study asks Chinese-Australians about their views on a wide range of issues — from foreign influence and relationships with China, to systems of government and pride in Australian life and culture.

The annual Lowy Institute Poll is entirely funded by the Lowy Institute to ensure its ongoing independence, and its questionnaire and results are thoroughly reviewed by independent consultants. The full dataset is available on the Lowy Institute Poll website, and datasets are also deposited with the Australian Social Science Data Archive where they are available free of charge for public scrutiny.

Experts
Latest publications
News and media
International Public Broadcasting: A Missed Opportunity For Projecting Australia’s Soft Power
Reports
International Public Broadcasting: A Missed Opportunity For Projecting Australia’s Soft Power
Australia’s depleted international broadcasting is impairing the projection of Australia’s soft power at a time when government is seeking to increase its regional influence,…
Ironclad - Forging a new future for America's alliances: book chapter
Books
Ironclad - Forging a new future for America's alliances: book chapter
In a new book edited by Dr. Michael J. Green of Center for Strategic & International Studies in Washington D.C., the final chapter by Alex Oliver looks at…
Foreign territory: Women in international relations
Reports
Foreign territory: Women in international relations
A three-year study has revealed severe gender imbalances in Australia’s international relations sector, despite some prominent trailblazers.
Australian attitudes to China shift: 2019 Lowy Poll
Australian attitudes to China shift: 2019 Lowy Poll
Among many interesting findings in this year’s Lowy Institute Poll, one new question produced a particularly striking result given Australia’s debate over how to navigate the…
The polls were wrong, but here’s our poll, and why you should read it
The polls were wrong, but here’s our poll, and why you should read it
It’s not exactly the best time to be releasing an opinion poll. In the wake of the 2019 election, there are fair questions about why we poll any more. But today we launch the Lowy…
Lowy Institute Poll 2019
Polling
Lowy Institute Poll 2019
After a year of heated domestic debate on issues such as climate change, foreign influence and technology, the 2019 Lowy Institute Poll reveals significant changes in how…
Media Release: 2019 Lowy Institute Poll – Australian Attitudes To Climate Change
Polling
Media Release: 2019 Lowy Institute Poll – Australian Attitudes To Climate Change
 In 2019, Australians rank climate change at the top of a list of ten possible threats to Australia's vital interests in the next ten years. A majority of Australian adults …
After the Australian election: the China test
After the Australian election: the China test
Governments in Australia are judged, in part, by their handling of the relationship with China. And while foreign policy has barely featured in Australia’s election campaign, the…
Press Release -  2019 Lowy Institute Polling: Australian attitudes towards foreign policy issues ahead of the 2019 federal election
Polling
Press Release - 2019 Lowy Institute Polling: Australian attitudes towards foreign policy issues ahead of the 2019 federal election
In an early release of select results from the Lowy Institute Poll 2019, the Liberal-National Coalition holds a clear lead over the Labor Party on five out of nine key foreign…
Why reciprocity matters: the US Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act
Why reciprocity matters: the US Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act
Western governments have long complained about the lack of reciprocity in dealing with China. As the traditional basis for international relations, reciprocity suggests that…
Australian Associated Press
21 June 2023
Bloomberg Daybreak
21 June 2023
The Sydney Morning Herald
21 May 2023
Australian Financial Review
13 May 2023
The Diplomat
1 May 2023