After almost 75 years, the Australia-US alliance sits at a critical juncture. A deeply divisive US administration and deteriorating regional security environment are contributing to some of the most significant changes in Australian public opinion about the United States in years. More than six months since US President Donald Trump returned to the Oval Office, the United States Studies Centre (USSC) polled over 1,000 Australians on their views of the United States, the Australia-US alliance and key issues facing the Indo-Pacific region.

Below are ten key takeaways which provide a snapshot of how Australians now perceive their most important security partner at a pivotal moment in Australia-US relations. This precedes the release of the USSC’s annual Allies and Partners poll later this year, which will also feature the views of American, Indian and Japanese citizens on these issues.

1. Trump 2.0 is deeply unpopular among Australians

Only 16% of Australians think that Trump’s second term has been good for Australia so far. In 2024, prior to his election, roughly a quarter (23%) had anticipated the same.

2. America's reputation in Asia is under pressure

Only 1 in 4 Australians believe the United States is mostly helpful in Asia — an 11 percentage point drop since 2024. Meanwhile, a plurality (33%) now views the United States as more harmful, an increase of 12 percentage points since 2024. In contrast, views of China have remained steady: nearly half of Australians (48%) see China as more harmful in Asia, while only 19% consider it to be helpful.

3. Australians increasingly question whether the US alliance makes them more secure

Over the past four years, the majority of Australians consistently believed that the US alliance makes Australia more secure. In 2025, only 42% of Australians share this sentiment — a 13 percentage point drop from 2024 (55%) and the lowest levels since USSC polling in 2022. Nearly a third of Australians (29%) now believe the alliance makes Australia less secure — a figure that has almost doubled since 2024.

4. Australians still believe America is an ally – but almost a third now view the US as a danger

More than two thirds of Australians (69%) view the United States as an ally. A majority also see the United States as a fellow democracy (55%) and an economic partner (66%). However, they are divided about whether the US poses a danger to Australia: nearly a third (30%) believe it does, while a plurality (40%) disagree, and the remainder are neutral.

5. Australians are overwhelmingly concerned about the future of US democracy

Almost three quarters of Australians (73%) are concerned about the future of US democracy. Similarly, Australian concern about potential political violence in the United States and misinformation has risen by over 10 percentage points in the past year. Roughly half of Australians now say they are very concerned about potential political violence in the United States, and 62% are very concerned about misinformation.

6. But despite pessimism about the United States, Australians want to stick with the US alliance

Despite negative views of America, only 17% of Australians believe that Australia should end its alliance with the United States — a 9 percentage point drop since 2024. Most Australians (54%) disagree with doing so.

7. In fact, half of Australians think that Australia needs its alliance with the United States more than ever

Approximately half of Australians (47%) think that Australia needs its alliance with the United States more than ever — more than double the number of Australians (21%) who disagree.

8. However, about half of Australians also say they support ending the US alliance if democratic institutions collapse in the United States

A plurality of Australians (45%) believe Australia should end its alliance with the United States if American democratic institutions collapse — more than twice the number (18%) who disagree.

9. While the future of AUKUS under Trump is uncertain, Australians don’t think the agreement should be cancelled

Australians are more than twice as likely to agree (40%) than disagree (16%) that Donald Trump would probably cancel the AUKUS partnership. The remainder are either unsure (20%) or neither agree nor disagree (24%).

When asked about their own views, only 17% of Australians support cancelling the agreement. In contrast, a plurality—almost half of the public (44%)—oppose ending the partnership, while 23% neither agree nor disagree, and 16% are unsure. However, only 27% of Australians say that the Australian Government has properly explained why Australia needs nuclear-powered submarines.

10. Australians want trade and economic ties at the top of the alliance agenda

A plurality of Australians (34%) believe that trade and economic ties should be the focus of bilateral cooperation, followed by maintaining regional stability (26%) and defence ties (20%). Only 6% think that innovating new technologies such as artificial intelligence should be the alliance’s central focus.

Methodology

The polling data in this publication was derived from a survey conducted between 7 August and 20 August 2025 by YouGov, on behalf of the United States Studies Centre. The survey was administered online to a representative sample of 1,070 adult, citizen Australians.

The survey builds on previous USSC surveys of representative Australian samples in June 2024, August 2023, and September 2022. Unless otherwise mentioned, the margin of error is approximately 3%.