The UK remains the global power most trusted by Australians while confidence in the US has nosedived to an all-time low, according to research by a Sydney-based think-tank.The latest survey of 1,200 Australians by the Lowy Institute also revealed that, when it came to world affairs, the local population had more faith in Theresa May and Japan’s Shinzo Abe than they did in their own prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull.

Strained relations in the Western nations

The survey found that while 90 per cent of Australians trusted the UK, trust in the US had fallen by 28 per cent in the past seven years – including by six per cent in the past year – to the lowest level ever recorded by the Lowy.“At a time when world events are rapidly evolving and the global order appears to be shifting, Australians are placing their trust in Western allies and friends. The clear exception is the United States,” said the report.However, the research discovered that Brexit remained the main international concern among Australians, followed by the election of Donald Trump, an escalation of conflicts in the Middle East, the nuclear threat from North Korea and an increase of terrorist incidents.

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Two out of five people considered Mr Trump a “critical threat” to Australia’s interests with the leaders of UK, France, Japan, India and China now more trusted than the US president.“Only 30 per cent of Australians have either ‘a lot’ or ‘some’ confidence in Donald Trump ‘to do the right thing regarding world affairs’,” the report said. “This places Trump ahead of only Russia’s Vladimir Putin (19 per cent) and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (five per cent) among the nine leaders ranked.“There is no question that Donald Trump’s presidency has eroded Australians’ trust and confidence in the United States as a responsible global actor: that trust has fallen to its lowest point in the poll’s history. Yet despite concerns about the current occupant of the White House, Australians’ support for the US alliance has held firm. “Australians’ highest level of trust among the eight nations polled is placed in the United Kingdom (trusted by 90 per cent). Japan is trusted by 87 per cent of Australians, and France by 84 per cent. Trust in India (59 per cent) is ahead of the United States (55 per cent), followed closely by China (52 per cent). Just 28 per cent trust Russia, and eight per cent trust North Korea.”

Chinese investment in Australia

The report also found that, despite heated public debate about foreign interference in Australia’s political processes, Australians seemed more concerned about Chinese investment. Only 41 per cent viewed foreign interference in the nation’s political processes as a ‘critical threat’, while 72 per cent felt Australian government was ‘allowing too much investment from China’.A sharp rise in anti-immigration sentiment was also uncovered by the survey. “For the first time in Lowy Institute polling, a majority (54 per cent – a 14 point rise from 2017) of Australians say the ‘total number of migrants coming to Australia each year’ is too high. Australians also appear to be questioning the impact of immigration on the national identity,” said the report. Dr Michael Fullilove, executive director of the Lowy Institute, said that “remarkable developments” over the past two years had raised questions about the global order that had so benefited Australia boom this century.“In Europe, the British public voted to leave the European Union. In the United States, Americans elected a president who is an unbeliever in alliances and hostile to free trade,” he said.“In Asia, China continues its inexorable rise, pursuing muscular policies in the South China Sea and recasting power relations throughout the region.”
But Dr Fullilove added that the “feelings thermometer” had shown the “Anglosphere maintains its grip on the Australian psyche”.Relocate’s new Global Mobility Toolkit provides free information, practical advice and support for HR, global mobility managers and global teams operating overseas.Access hundreds of global services and suppliers in our Online Directory 

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