Survey of Australian public opinion on defence
The War Studies Research Group ran surveys assessing Australian public opinion on a range of issues related to defence and military history.
How the public perceives the Australian Defence Force and the operations that the military has conducted, and continues to conduct, on behalf of the Australian people, is a critical context for any defence debate. Despite this, there is little systematic data on Australian public opinion on these important issues. The War Studies Research Group has conducted surveys across 2025 and 2026 to assess public attitudes and produced reports unpicking what the results mean.
The main survey run in 2025, and again in 2026, assesses public attitudes towards the Australian Defence Force, including knowledge of the ADF, trust in the institution and the ADF鈥檚 future.聽
A second survey assessing public attitudes towards, and understanding of, Australian military history was run in 2025. This report reveals the degree to which the Australian public understand the country鈥檚 military past, so often discussed in the national conversation.聽
Australian Defence Force Survey
Australian Military History Survey