Trust in China has plunged to new lows in Australia, with more than 60 per cent of people recently surveyed saying they view the country as a security threat rather than an economic partner, and only 16 per cent saying they trust Beijing to act responsibly in the world.
Key points:
- Only 10pc of those surveyed believed Chinese President Xi Jinping would "do the right thing" in international affairs
- Most people surveyed blamed China for its deteriorating relationship with Australia
- Trust in the US has climbed 10pc since last year but is still 20pc lower than it was during Barrack Obama's presidency
There has also been a revival of faith in the United States, with seven in 10 respondents expressing confidence in US President Joe Biden — almost 40 points higher than former president Donald Trump.
But there is little appetite for Australia joining a regional military conflict, with more than half of those surveyed saying Australia should "remain neutral" if there is a war between China and the US.
The results are contained in the Lowy Institute's 2021 poll of Australian attitudes to the world, with more than 2,200 Australians surveyed in March.
The Lowy Institute's Natasha Kassam said there had been a "dramatic" collapse in goodwill towards China since 2018, when only 12 per cent of those surveyed viewed Beijing as more of a security threat than an economic partner.
"The endless list of bilateral irritants and concerning stories — from the crackdown in Hong Kong to the detention of the Uyghurs, sanctions on Australian industries and the plight of Australian citizens in China — has driven the relationship, and driven public perception, to rock bottom," she told the ABC.
The survey showed only 10 per cent of respondents had any confidence China's President, Xi Jinping, would "do the right thing regarding world affairs" — a figure that has fallen 33 points since 2018.
"We could definitely call this a sea change," Ms Kassam said.
"We are seeing numbers for Xi Jinping which are comparable to the way that Australians view [North Korean leader] Kim Jong Un.
"Last year when I was asked about these results [on China] I didn't think they could fall even further, and yet here we are."
Respondents were also quick to blame China for the deterioration in bilateral ties between the two countries, with 56 per cent of those surveyed saying China wore more responsibility.
Another 38 per cent said Australia and China were equally to blame, while only 4 per cent said Australia was more to blame.
Trust in US bounces back, but still below Obama years
AP: Andrew Harnik
)In contrast, there was a modest surge of confidence in the United States. Just over 60 per cent of respondents told Lowy they trusted the US — an increase of 10 points from last year.
Ms Kassam said faith in the United States had not rebounded as powerfully as it did in 2009, when Barack Obama took the presidency and 83 per cent of those surveyed told Lowy they trusted the US.
"There is still some delay in how Australians are warming to the United States, both because of the legacy of President Trump but also because of the tragedy of COVID-19 last year," she said.
"Almost all Australians agree the US has not handled the pandemic well and I think that continues to inform their views."
Still, confidence in the US–Australia alliance remains high.
Of those surveyed, 78 per cent said the alliance was important to the country's security, while 76 per cent said the two countries shared common values.
And 75 per cent said they believed the US would come to Australia's defence if Australia was attacked.
Only 36 per cent of those surveyed said the alliance was decreasing in importance because the US was in relative decline when compared to China. That was a 10 point drop from 2019.
"Those increasing concerns about China has really made Australia move closer to the United States when it comes to the security, defence and safety of the country," Ms Kassam said.
Ms Kassam said there had been a clear shift since 2016, when the Lowy Institute poll found respondents were uncertain whether the country's future lay with the US or China.
"In 2016 if you asked Australians whether our relationship with the US or China was more important, it was a dead heat. The country was split 50–50," she said.
"That's certainly not the case today, with sentiment souring to China and [at] the moment warming to the United States. It does feel like Australia is perhaps having to pick a side, and the public recognises that."
But the support for the alliance does not translate into enthusiasm for a war between the two great powers.
Fifty-seven per cent of those surveyed said Australia should remain neutral if there was a conflict between the US and China, although a substantial minority — 41 per cent — said Australia should support the US.
Only 1 per cent said Australia should support China.
But anxieties about conflict over Taiwan have also jumped sharply.
Just over half of those surveyed said a military conflict between the US and China posed a critical threat to Australia — an increase of 17 per cent from last year.
Threat of COVID-19 drops, economic confidence surges
Ms Kassam said the findings were unsurprising, and multiple surveys had shown most respondents did not want to be dragged into a war with China.
"We've always seen low levels of support for deploying the military in a hypothetical scenario involving China," she said.
"And I think most Australians recognise that despite the icy relationship, China is still Australia's largest trading partner."
The poll also shows broader confidence about Australia's security has rebounded from the record lows recorded in last year's poll.
Of those surveyed, 70 per cent said they felt "very safe" or "safe" – up by 20 per cent from 2020. This year, 59 per cent said they saw COVID-19 as a critical threat, down from 76 per cent in 2020.
There was also a huge lift in economic confidence, with 79 per cent of those surveyed saying they were "optimistic" or "very optimistic" about Australia's economic performance in the world — a 27 point jump from 2020.
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2021-06-22 13:32:41Z
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