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
Time for a stronger U.S.-Australia alliance?
Commentary
Time for a stronger U.S.-Australia alliance?
In the wake of a report from CSIS and ANU calling for a stronger US alliance refocused on the Asia Pacific, Alex Oliver examines the eleven years of Lowy Institute polling on…
Opinion piece in Foreign Policy: What to expect from Malcolm Turnbull
Commentary
Opinion piece in Foreign Policy: What to expect from Malcolm Turnbull
Alex Oliver looks at the foreign policy issues which may test Australia's new Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull.Click here for the online text.Alex Oliver
Prosperity, safety our big worries
Commentary
Prosperity, safety our big worries
Michael Fullilove and Alex Oliver, originally published in The Australian, 16 June 2015. Michael Fullilove , Alex Oliver
The 2015 Lowy Institute Poll: What does it all mean?
The 2015 Lowy Institute Poll was released this morning. It's the eleventh annual Lowy Institute Poll. It goes without saying that every year there are some fascinating results…
Lowy Institute Poll 2015
Polling
Lowy Institute Poll 2015
After a year marked by an unusual intensity in Australia’s interactions with the world, the 2015 Lowy Institute Poll includes findings from a mix of new questions together with…
2015 Lowy Institute polling: Attitudes to Australia’s aid program
Polling
2015 Lowy Institute polling: Attitudes to Australia’s aid program
A majority of Australians of voting age are in favour of the recent budget cuts to Australia’s overseas aid to developing countries. Alex Oliver
2015 Lowy Institute polling: Indonesia and the death penalty
Polling
2015 Lowy Institute polling: Indonesia and the death penalty
New polling following the executions in Indonesia of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran last week suggests Australians have a strong preference for a restrained diplomatic response…
Data retention scheme has majority support from Australians
New Lowy Institute polling released today shows that the Australian Government's data retention ('metadata') laws, which passed the parliament last night, have the support of a…
Papers on Parliament: Are Australians disenchanted with democracy?
Reports
Papers on Parliament: Are Australians disenchanted with democracy?
Alex Oliver's lecture in the Senate Occasional Lecture Series at Parliament House, 14 February 2014, has been published in the Senate's "Papers on Parliament"…
Clive Palmer's outburst and Australian anxiety about Chinese investment
Commentary
Clive Palmer's outburst and Australian anxiety about Chinese investment
Clive Palmer's outburst and Australian anxiety about Chinese investmentAlex OliverThe Guardian20 August 2014Please click here for the online text.Alex Oliver
The New Daily
19 December 2022
ABC RN Late Night Live
5 December 2022
The Christian Science Monitor
2 December 2022
The Christian Science Monitor
28 November 2022
ABC The Drum
28 November 2022
The Australian
12 November 2022
The Sydney Morning Herald
7 November 2022
SBS News In Mandarin
24 October 2022