Australians Are Increasingly Wary of US Interference, Poll Shows

More than half of Australians are concerned about US interference while support for defense spending has reached a new high, according to a nationwide poll that comes as friction mounts between the allies over issues such as trade.

The survey released Tuesday by the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology Sydney found that 54% of respondents are worried about US influence on domestic affairs — a jump of nearly 20 percentage points since 2021. The increase has narrowed the gap, with concern over interference from China and Russia, which has remained steady at around 64%.