Australia is experiencing a historic decline in support for multiculturalism, according to the 2026 Lowy Institute Poll, as economic pessimism and global insecurity fuel a groundswell of fear. The share of Australians who say cultural diversity has been good for the nation plunged from 90% in 2024 to 73% in 2026, the largest single movement on any societal question in the poll's 22-year history.
Record low trust in the United States
The poll, which surveyed more than 2,000 Australians, revealed that only 31% have faith in the United States to act responsibly on the world stage—a record low. Confidence in President Donald Trump stands at just one in five, matching the level of trust in Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Meanwhile, trust in China rose from 20% to 28%.
Charles Lyons-Jones, a Lowy research fellow, said this year's survey marks an extraordinary milestone: for the first time, the two superpowers are distrusted in equal measure. 'That is a significant change from 2022 when the gap in trust was over 50% in favour of the US,' he noted.
Economic pessimism and safety concerns
Underpinning the decline in faith in the US is a broader sense of insecurity. Six in ten Australians (59%) are pessimistic about the country's economic performance over the next five years, up 12 percentage points from 2024 and 22 points since 2022. This is even higher than the 48% recorded at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
More than half (53%) of those surveyed said they feel 'unsafe' or 'very unsafe' in the world, a level 3 percentage points below the previous record low set in 2020. 'When Australians look at the world today they are deeply unsettled,' Lyons-Jones said.
Rising concerns about immigration and AI
A majority of Australians (55%) now say the number of migrants coming to Australia is 'too high,' up from 48% in 2024 and just past the previous peak of 54% in 2018. The poll also found that nearly two-thirds of Australians believe the risks of artificial intelligence outweigh the potential benefits, up 12 percentage points since 2024.
These anxieties come days after One Nation leader Pauline Hanson declared she backed a 'monocultural' Australia. Despite the sharp drop, Lyons-Jones emphasised that the majority of Australians (73%) still view multiculturalism as a source of strength.
Alliance with US remains robust
Despite low trust in Trump, support for the Australia-US alliance remains at a 'robust' 73%, the poll showed. 'It shows that Australians are quite pragmatic. In a deteriorating strategic environment they accept that an alliance with the US is important for our security,' Lyons-Jones said. Backing for the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine deal also held firm at 68%.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese acknowledged in May that 'the United States is playing a different role now,' citing the decision to go to war with Iran without consulting allies as an example. 'President Trump was elected on a platform of America First. So that changes the dynamic in the world. Western democracies have adjusted to that,' he said.
