During the period 2021–2025, Australian public interest in foreign affairs gained greater prominence, driven in large part by intensifying rivalry between the United States and China and growing debate over how Australia should navigate this strategic competition. In this chapter, we examine Australian public opinion on these issues using polling data collected during this period. The data captures public attitudes towards key dimensions of Australia’s external relations, including perceptions of security threats, the US-Australia alliance, levels of trust in the United States, views on trade and tariffs, and support for AUKUS. We analyse how Australians understand strategic risk, alliance dependence, and economic interdependence, and explore the extent to which public opinion reflects continuity or change in Australia’s traditional foreign policy settings. In doing so, the chapter sheds light on the role of public opinion in shaping the domestic context of Australian foreign policy at a time of heightened geopolitical uncertainty.
