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Influence of the United States of America

19 Aug 2019

Q. Thinking about Australia’s relationship with the United States of America, how do you rate the influence of the United States of America on each of the following aspects?

  Very positive Somewhat positive Somewhat negative Very negative Unsure
Australia’s defence, military, and national security 23% 42% 14% 7% 14%
Australia’s international trade 16% 40% 20% 8% 16%
Australia’s culture 13% 38% 24% 10% 14%
Australia’s politics 12% 30% 26% 14% 18%
American corporations and businesses operating in Australia 14% 43% 19% 7% 16%
  • Almost a quarter of participants (23%) believe that the United States of America has a very positive influence on Australia’s defence, military and national security, with another 42% providing a somewhat positive rating.
  • Overall, participants were most negative about the influence of American politics on Australia (net 39% negative).
  • Broadly those who intend to vote for the Liberal/National Coalition or other political party were more likely to believe that the United States of America had a more positive influence on Australia across all metrics than Labour or Green voters.

Australia’s defence, military, and national security

  Total Gender Age
Male Female 18-34 35-54 55+
Very positive 23% 27% 20% 25% 20% 26%
Somewhat positive 42% 44% 40% 37% 40% 49%
Somewhat negative 14% 13% 14% 18% 14% 10%
Very negative 7% 7% 7% 6% 8% 8%
Unsure 14% 8% 19% 15% 18% 8%
Base (n) 1,096 536 560 347 364 385
  • Males were more positive about the influence of the United States of America on our defence, military, and national security (27%) than females (20%).
  • Those who intend to vote for the Liberal/National Coalition (30%) or other political party (26%, independent/One Nation/United Australia Party) were more likely to select very positive than Labour (21%) and Green (10%) voters.
  • Participants over 55 years old (75%) were more likely to provide a net positive response than those 18-54 years old (60%).

Australia’s international trade

  Total Gender Age
Male Female 18-34 35-54 55+
Very positive 16% 17% 14% 23% 13% 12%
Somewhat positive 40% 43% 38% 38% 39% 44%
Somewhat negative 20% 20% 20% 20% 18% 22%
Very negative 8% 9% 7% 6% 9% 9%
Unsure 16% 11% 21% 15% 21% 13%
Base (n) 1,096 536 560 347 364 385
  • Those who intend to vote for the Liberal/National Coalition (20%) or other political party (16%) were more likely to believe that the United States of America had a very positive influence on Australia’s international trade than Labour (21%) and Green (10%) voters.
  • Participants aged 18-34 were more likely to believe that the United States of America had a very positive influence (23%) on Australia’s international trade than those over 35 years old (13%).

Australia’s culture

  Total Gender Age
Male Female 18-34 35-54 55+
Very positive 13% 15% 12% 20% 12% 8%
Somewhat positive 38% 42% 34% 34% 41% 39%
Somewhat negative 24% 24% 25% 25% 20% 27%
Very negative 10% 12% 9% 7% 10% 13%
Unsure 14% 7% 21% 13% 17% 12%
Base (n) 1,096 536 560 347 364 385
  • Participants aged 18-34 were more likely to believe that the United States of America had a very positive influence (20%) on Australia’s culture than those over 35 years old (10%).

Australia’s politics

  Total Gender Age
Male Female 18-34 35-54 55+
Very positive 12% 15% 10% 17% 12% 9%
Somewhat positive 30% 33% 28% 27% 30% 34%
Somewhat negative 26% 26% 25% 27% 22% 28%
Very negative 14% 15% 12% 13% 14% 14%
Unsure 18% 11% 24% 16% 22% 15%
Base (n) 1,096 536 560 347 364 385
  • Liberal/National and other voters (17% and 14% respectively) believed that the United States of America had a very positive impact on Australia’s politics, compared to 11% of Labour and 8% of Greens voters.
  • Those aged between 18-34 were more likely to believe that the United States of America had a very positive impact on Australia’s politics (17% compared to 10%) than those over 35 years old.

American corporations and businesses operating in Australia

  Total Gender Age
Male Female 18-34 35-54 55+
Very positive 14% 16% 12% 20% 13% 9%
Somewhat positive 43% 47% 40% 41% 40% 48%
Somewhat negative 19% 21% 18% 18% 21% 19%
Very negative 7% 9% 6% 6% 6% 10%
Unsure 16% 8% 23% 15% 20% 13%
Base (n) 1,096 536 560 347 364 385
  • Participants aged between 18-34 were more likely to believe that the United States of America had a very positive influence on American corporations and businesses operating in Australia (20%) than those over 35 years old (11%).
  • Residents in state or territory capitals were more likely to be very positive about United States of America’s influence on American corporations and businesses operating in Australia (16%) than non-capital residents (10%).
  • Those with high incomes were more likely to be very positive about United States of America’s influence on American corporations and businesses operating in Australia (21%) than other income levels (13%).
  • Similarly, those in paid employment were very positive about United States of America’s influence on American corporations and businesses operating in Australia (17%) than other participants (11%).
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