Natasha Kassam

Director, Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Program
Areas of expertise

China’s domestic politics; public opinion polling; human rights; Australian foreign policy; Taiwan; Indo-Pacific strategy

Contact
Natasha Kassam
Biography
Publications
News and media

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.

She was a Fellow of the ANU National Security College’s Futures Council for 2020-21 and a member of the Advisory Board for the University of Melbourne’s Asian Law Centre. Natasha is a regular contributor to Australian and international media outlets including CNN, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC and The New York Times.

Prior to joining the Lowy Institute, Natasha was an Australian diplomat in China and Solomon Islands. She was a part of the drafting team for the Australian government’s 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons I) and a Bachelor of International Studies from the University of Sydney and speaks Mandarin.

China has lost Taiwan, and it knows it
Commentary
China has lost Taiwan, and it knows it
So it is attacking democracy on the island from within. Orignally published in the New York Times. Natasha Kassam
Touted as ‘next Hong Kong’ Taiwan lives on the edge
Commentary
Touted as ‘next Hong Kong’ Taiwan lives on the edge
Originally published in The Australian. Natasha Kassam , Richard McGregor
Chart of the week: The climate cost
Chart of the week: The climate cost
Polls suggest a majority of Australians want action on global warming, even at a cost – but politics tells us otherwise.
Chart of the week: Trump and the US-Australia alliance
Chart of the week: Trump and the US-Australia alliance
Most Australians say the alliance makes us safer, but also makes Australia more likely to be drawn into a war in Asia.
Australians endorse Huawei ban as part of hard line on China
Commentary
Australians endorse Huawei ban as part of hard line on China
Originally published in Nikkei Asian Review.Natasha Kassam
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
Election pollsters must deal with tricky challenges but issues polls – such as the Lowy Institute Poll – are different.
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
New Lowy poll figures suggest voters prefer Labor over the Coalition for managing relations with Beijing – just.
ABC The Signal
Why is Taiwan arming itself?
23 October 2020
ABC News
Why is Taiwan arming itself?
23 October 2020
The Washington Post
Chinese and Taiwanese officials clash in Fiji amid rise of ‘wolf warrior diplomacy’
20 October 2020
The New York Times
Distrust of China Jumps to New Highs in Democratic Nations
06 October 2020
South China Morning Post
Coronavirus: why China has left its options open for WHO’s global vaccine plan
23 September 2020
South China Morning Post
US-China decoupling: does clash of ideologies raise too many non-negotiables?
16 August 2020
ABC Radio National
WWII ended in the Pacific 75 years ago. Here's how it still shapes us today
14 August 2020
The Washington Post
Taiwan and U.S. to hold highest-level meeting since 1979 as China tensions soar
05 August 2020
ABC The World Today
Where to for Beijing-Canberra relations?
13 July 2020
Top