A new Australia Institute poll found that 55% of surveyed voters ages 18 to 24 viewed the United States as a threat or major threat to Australia, measuring sentiment among the youngest respondents.
The Australia Institute commissioned YouGov to survey 1,100 Australians eligible to vote online from Oct. 6 to 12. The 18-to-24 group had 97 respondents: 40% chose “threat” and 15% “major threat,” while 4% selected “close friend.” The poll applied weighting, and published percentages were rounded to whole numbers.
For the United States, 50% of the full sample chose friend or close friend, while 42% chose threat or major threat. Indonesia received more favorable responses: 64% chose friend or close friend, and 20% chose threat or major threat. In the survey, a “threat” meant a country respondents viewed warily or with suspicion; the results do not establish whether they believed the United States posed an imminent military danger.
A separate Lowy Institute poll measured different attitudes. It found that 31% trusted the United States to act responsibly in the world, five percentage points below its 2025 result, while 21% had confidence in President Donald Trump to do the right thing in world affairs. Because the polls asked different questions, their results are not direct comparisons.
Separately, The Guardian reported that Treasurer Jim Chalmers criticized online hate at the Australian Political Book of the Year awards in Canberra on Oct. 28. The outlet quoted him describing hate as “a business model.”
In a House of Representatives debate on Oct. 26, Chalmers said: “Monetised violence online is not helping—that algorithmic rage bait, that’s all about preying on the nation’s challenges and not solving them.” Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus argued that platform distribution systems reflect deliberate commercial choices. He said distributors receive the financial benefits while communities bear the consequences.
The Independent reported that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese connected public anger with social media’s anonymity and speed, in Albanese’s warning about anger and social media.
