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Lowy Institute Poll 2025: Canberra Launch — Australia in a world adrift
We are living through a remarkable moment in history — and the 2025 Lowy Institute Poll captures exactly what Australians make of it.
Now in its twenty-first year, the Poll is the longest-running and broadest survey of Australian public opinion on the world. This year's edition lands at a time of profound global disorder, revealing significant shifts in how Australians view the United States and China, what they believe about superpower trajectories, and how they assess the threats facing the nation — and what should be done about them. It also tracks evolving attitudes on climate and energy, the economy, democracy, and immigration.
At this Canberra launch event, Poll author and Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Program Director Ryan Neelam was joined by Assistant Minister Andrew Leigh, SBS Chief Political Correspondent Anna Henderson, and ABC Foreign Affairs reporter Stephen Dziedzic — who chaired the discussion — to unpack the findings and explore what they reveal about Australia's place in a fracturing international order. The conversation ranged across attitudes towards the superpowers, Donald Trump's policies, defence and security, and much more.
Ryan Neelam is Director of the Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Program at the Lowy Institute, author of the annual Lowy Institute Poll, and a former Australian diplomat who served in Hong Kong and at the United Nations in New York.
Andrew Leigh is Assistant Minister in the Albanese Government and one of Australia's most analytically rigorous political figures, with a background as a professor of economics at the Australian National University.
Anna Henderson is Chief Political Correspondent at SBS News, with extensive experience covering Australian politics and international affairs.
Stephen Dziedzic is the ABC's Foreign Affairs reporter, with deep expertise in Australian foreign policy, the Indo-Pacific, and international diplomacy.
Featuring
Ryan Neelam
Ryan Neelam was Director of the Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Program at the Lowy Institute. He led the flagship annual Lowy Institute Poll, was project director for the Global Diplomacy Index, and wrote about climate diplomacy and multilateral policy.
Andrew Leigh
Andrew Leigh is the federal member for Fenner and Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury.
Stephen Dziedzic
Stephen Dziedzic has covered federal politics, the Pacific, and Australian foreign policy for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
