Australians have a more negative view of Israel than of China, the latest Guardian Essential poll has found. The survey of 1,017 people asked respondents for their attitudes toward a dozen countries. Only 19 percent had a favorable view of Israel. China scored 24 percent.
The numbers tell an uncomfortable story for a country that counts both the United States and Israel as formal allies while treating China as its primary strategic rival. The highest favorability rating went to the UK at 53 percent, followed by European nations at 47 percent and Ukraine at 41 percent. The United States landed at 29 percent. Palestine scored 21 percent. The lowest ratings went to Iran at 11 percent, Russia at 13 percent, and Syria at 15 percent.
The gap between Israel and China is worth pausing on. China is the subject of regular Australian government warnings about foreign interference, military expansion in the South China Sea, and economic coercion. Israel is a long-standing security partner with deep defense and intelligence ties to Canberra. But Australian public opinion has flipped the expected hierarchy. Israel is now viewed less favorably than the country Australian officials publicly describe as the most significant strategic threat in the region.
The poll also found that perceptions of Donald Trump have tumbled since his re-election. Fewer than a third of respondents now view the US president positively. This matters because the Australia-US alliance is the foundation of Australian defense planning, underwritten by the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal and regular military cooperation.
Women are the least favorable toward Israel: only 14 percent of women reported a positive attitude. People aged 35 to 54 were the next least favorable, at 18 percent. Those 18 to 34 were at 19 percent, and those 55 and over at 21 percent. The gender gap is striking and consistent with broader polling trends showing women in Western countries turning away from Israel at a faster rate than men.
The questions in this poll did not exactly match those asked in previous surveys, so direct comparisons over time are imprecise. But the general direction is clear enough when you look at other data. A Pew Research Center survey conducted across 36 countries between February and May 2026 found that majorities in most countries expressed an unfavorable view of Israel and little confidence in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The war in Iran, which began in late February, appears to have accelerated a shift that was already underway.
The Australian government has had public disagreements with Israel over the wars in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran. Canberra condemned the death of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom after an IDF strike on an aid convoy in Gaza. It has criticized Israel’s military operations in Lebanon. These official positions track reasonably closely with where public opinion sits.
But the gap between public sentiment and policy remains real. Australia continues to share intelligence with Israel, cooperate on defense technology, and maintain the alliance structure that successive governments have treated as non-negotiable. The poll suggests that the public is less committed to that relationship than the political class assumes.
The countries that scored highest with Australians the UK and Europe are where Australia does not have formal defense treaties but shares cultural and institutional ties. The countries that scored lowest Iran, Russia, Syria, and now Israel are where Canberra has either conflict or diplomatic friction. The difference is that in Israel’s case the friction is relatively new and the alliance remains formally intact. That cannot last indefinitely if the numbers keep moving in the same direction.