Australians' trust in US on global stage falls to record low: poll

Captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores are escorted towards the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse in Manhattan for an initial appearance to face US federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and others, at Downtown Manhattan Heliport, in New York City, US, January 5, 2026. The proportion of Australians who say they trust the US to act "responsibly" on the global stage has fallen to a record low, an annual poll has found. - Reuters

SYDNEY: The proportion of Australians who say they trust the US to act "responsibly" on the global stage has fallen to a record low, an annual poll has found.

The survey, which was undertaken by Sydney-based independent think tank the Lowy Institute, found that 38 per cent of participants responded "not at all" when asked how much they trust the US to act responsibly and another 30 per cent responded "not very much".

It marks the lowest level of reported trust in the US in the 20-year history of the Lowy Institute's annual poll.

Since 2022, the proportion of respondents who rated their trust in the US to act responsibly as "not at all" or "not very much" has increased from 35 per cent to 68 per cent.

In the same period, the proportion of respondents who said that the alliance with the US is "very important" for Australia's security has declined from 60 per cent to 42 per cent. - Xinhua