China, diplomacy, EMC, ER, Essential Media, Essential Report, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Polling, polls, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States
Q. Would you like to see Australia’s relationship with these countries get closer, stay the same or become less close?
| Get closer | Stay the same | Become less close | Don’t know | Get closer
15 Nov |
Change | ||
| New Zealand | 37% | 55% | 3% | 5% | 29% | +8 | |
| China | 32% | 52% | 9% | 7% | 30% | +2 | |
| Japan | 26% | 59% | 8% | 7% | 21% | +5 | |
| United Kingdom | 25% | 62% | 7% | 5% | 20% | +5 | |
| United States | 24% | 61% | 11% | 5% | 20% | +4 | |
| Indonesia | 21% | 51% | 20% | 8% | 23% | -2 | |
| India | 19% | 53% | 18% | 9% | 22% | -3 | |
| Germany | 18% | 62% | 10% | 10% | 14% | +4 | |
| South Africa | 13% | 59% | 17% | 11% | 11% | +2 |
37% think that Australia’s relationship with New Zealand should get closer and 32% think our relationship with China should get closer.
Labor voters are most likely to favour closer relationships with China (31%) and New Zealand (31%).
Liberal/National voters are most likely to favour closer relationships with New Zealand (42%) and United States (34%).
Greens voters are most likely to favour closer relationships with New Zealand (43%), China (38%) and Japan (34%).
Since this question was asked in November, the percentage wanting a closer relationship with New Zealand has increased 8%, and increased 5% for Japan and the United Kingdom.
America, Barack Obama, culture, economy, EMC, Essential Media, faith, Health, peter lewis, Politics, Sport, The Drum, United States, US influence, US relations, USA, Values, war
First Published on The Drum 16/11/2010
If the mid-term drubbings and G20 currency fisticuffs with China are not enough, Barack Obama will return home with more bad news: Australians think his nation has lost its mojo.
While Julia Gillard and entourage were all smiles at the official photo call, they politely chose not to disclose they were representing a nation that thinks the USA is in decline.
In fact, 60 per cent of all surveyed in this week’s Essential Report see the American Empire’s influence becoming weaker, with just 20 per cent believing the USA’s influence on the world is on the rise.
EMC, ER, essential report, United States, USA, USA influence
Q. Do you think the influence of the United States in the world is becoming stronger or weaker?
| Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
| Total stronger | 20% | 23% | 17% | 20% |
| Total weaker | 60% | 56% | 63% | 73% |
| Much stronger | 7% | 8% | 5% | 4% |
| A little stronger | 13% | 15% | 12% | 16% |
| A little weaker | 50% | 49% | 54% | 52% |
| Much weaker | 10% | 7% | 9% | 21% |
| No change | 14% | 14% | 16% | 6% |
| Don’t know | 7% | 5% | 5% | 1% |
The majority (60%) think that the influence of the United States in the world is becoming weaker – only 20% think it is becoming stronger.
72% of those aged 55+ think it is becoming weaker (and 15% stronger) while 27% of those aged under 35 think it is becoming stronger (and 46% weaker).
China, Germany, India, Indonesia, International Relations, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States
Q. How important is it for Australia to have a close relationship with the following nations?
| Very important | Quite important | Not very important | Don’t know | |
| United States | 59% | 33% | 4% | 4% |
| New Zealand | 56% | 34% | 6% | 5% |
| China | 51% | 36% | 7% | 5% |
| United Kingdom | 46% | 41% | 9% | 5% |
| Indonesia | 40% | 40% | 13% | 7% |
| Japan | 39% | 48% | 8% | 5% |
| India | 27% | 44% | 21% | 7% |
| Germany | 18% | 44% | 29% | 8% |
| South Africa | 12% | 41% | 39% | 8% |
Over half think that it is very important for Australia to have a close relationship with the United States (59%), New Zealand (56%) and China (51%).
Labor voters were more likely to think a close relationship with China is very important (56%) while Green voters were more likely to think it is not very important (15%).
Labor voters were more likely to think relations with Indonesia are very important (48%) and relations with India are quite important (51%).
Coalition voters were more likely to think Australia’s relations with India are not very important (26%). However, these voters were more likely to think Australia’s relations with the United Kingdom (52%) and the United States (68%) are very important. Comments »
China, Germany, India, Indonesia, International Relations, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States
Q. Would you like to see Australia’s relationship with these countries get closer, stay the same or become less close?
| Get closer | Stay the same | Become less close | Don’t know | |
| China | 33% | 45% | 13% | 9% |
| New Zealand | 33% | 56% | 2% | 8% |
| Indonesia | 30% | 48% | 12% | 10% |
| United States | 24% | 59% | 9% | 8% |
| United Kingdom | 24% | 62% | 5% | 8% |
| India | 24% | 50% | 16% | 10% |
| Japan | 24% | 59% | 8% | 10% |
| Germany | 16% | 65% | 7% | 12% |
| South Africa | 13% | 63% | 12% | 12% |
When it comes to Australia’s relationship getting closer with various countries, 33% think Australia’s relations with China should get closer, 45% think our relations with China should stay the same and 13% think they should become less close.
33% support a closer relationship with New Zealand and 30% support a closer relationship with Indonesia. The country that scores the highest in terms of one which Australia should become less close with is India (16%).
Labor (36%) voters were more likely to think that Australia’s relations with China should become closer, while Coalition (17%) and Greens (23%) voters were more likely to think it should be less close.
Labor voters were more likely to think Australia’s relations with India should stay the same (55%), while Coalition voters were more likely to think they should become less close (20%). Comments »