As the first year of the second Trump administration wraps up, the United States Studies Centre (USSC) at the University of Sydney released its annual Allies and Partners Poll, providing insights into how some of the United States’ closest partners view their relationship with Washington under Trump 2.0.
Conducted in August 2025, this year’s survey included more than 1,000 respondents from Australia, the United States, Japan and, for the first time, India, allowing for analysis across all four Quad countries.
In Allies and partners poll 2025: Where the Quad countries stand on Trump, security and the future of the Indo-Pacific, Senior Research Associates Samuel Garrett and Ava Kalinauskas and Director of Research Jared Mondschein unpack the key foreign policy similarities and differences between these four countries.
“Australia, India and Japan share pessimism about the current direction of the United States, yet our polling found that a plurality in all three countries believe their country needs the United States more than ever,” Mondschein noted.
Key findings from the polling include:
- Militarising the Quad | Respondents in each country are far more likely to agree than disagree with the Quad becoming a formal military alliance. Australians are the most supportive (49% agree), followed by Indians (44%), Americans (42%) and Japanese (41%) respondents.
- President Trump | A majority of Australian (56%), Indian (54%), and Japanese (59%) respondents think that President Donald Trump’s second term has been bad for their countries.
- United States in Asia | More Australians now see the United States as harmful in Asia (33%) than helpful (24%) and only 42% of Australians say the US alliance makes their country more secure.
- China in Asia | However, Australian (48%), American (40%), Japanese (58%), and Indian (46%) respondents remain more likely to view China as harmful rather than helpful in Asia.
- Needing the United States | A plurality of Australian (47%), Indian (41%), and Japanese (40%) respondents think that their country needs the United States more than ever.
- Conflict with China | Few American (11%), Australian (9%), Japanese (7%) and Indian (22%) respondents believe it is very likely that their country will be in armed conflict with China in the next 10 years.
- Taiwan | All four Quad countries are more likely than not to support sending military forces to help the United States in the event of an attack on Taiwan.
- AUKUS | Only 17% of Australians think that AUKUS should be cancelled – compared to twice as many (44%) who disagree with cancelling it, while the rest (39%) are uncertain.
- Ukraine | A majority of American (56%), Australian (51%) and Japanese (50%) respondents think it would be damaging for their countries if Russia defeats Ukraine – compared to less than a third of Indians (29%).
- Tariffs | Most Americans (63%) and Australians (64%) think that future US presidents will be less aggressive with tariffs compared to President Trump, while Indian and Japanese respondents are less certain (31% of Indians and 35% of Japanese say less aggressive compared to 21% and 12% who say more aggressive).
“Ultimately, these findings indicate significant changes across all four publics, but with more that unites them rather than divides them on issues of foreign policy,” Mondschein concluded.
Allies and partners poll 2025: Where the Quad countries stand on Trump, security and the future of the Indo-Pacific is now available to view or download.