While the public conversation about free trade has soured in a number of comparable countries, Australian support for free trade continues to rise. Three-quarters of Australians (75%, up eight points since 2017) say free trade is good for their own standard of living, and 71% agree free trade is good for the Australian economy. A solid majority say free trade is good for Australian companies (65%) and creating jobs in Australia (61%, up six points).

Globalisation remain attractive to most Australians, albeit slightly less so than in the past In 2019, 72% of Australians say globalisation is ‘mostly good’, down six points from 2017. This marks a return to 2008 levels, during the global financial crisis. The 2019 response remains higher the 64% who gave this response in 2006. Lower income earners are less inclined to favour globalisation, with 67% saying globalisation is ‘mostly good’, compared with 86% of the highest income earners.

Slow growth, an uncertain global economy, and the protracted trade war between the United States and Australia’s largest trading partner, China, may have had some impact on Australians’ optimism about the national economy. While Australian adults remain generally optimistic about the economy, with a majority (65%) either ‘optimistic’ or ‘very optimistic’ about Australia’s economic performance in the world over the next five years, this has fallen nine points from 2017.

Government spending on Australia’s foreign policy efforts, such as defence and foreign aid, appears to be a lower priority for most Australians than domestic issues such as health and education.

When Australians are asked about the federal budget, there is extensive public support for increased spending on health (81%) and education (74%). Few say the government should increase spending on border protection (32%), defence (31%) and foreign aid (17%). Almost half (47%) say spending on social welfare should be increased.

Foreign aid is the only policy area in which more Australians say that federal government spending should be decreased rather than increased. Almost half (47%) say they would decrease spending on foreign aid, compared with 17% saying they would increase spending.

Misperceptions about the size of the aid budget may be a factor in these responses. The 2018 Lowy Institute Poll found that on average, Australians think 14% of the budget is spent on aid, but only 10% should be spent on aid. Australia’s aid budget is approximately 0.8% of the federal budget.

Despite this general aversion to spending more on aid, most Australians have positive views on the role of aid in Australia’s international relations.

A majority (70%) say that giving foreign aid helps Australia’s relations with other countries. They are divided as to whether foreign aid helps or makes no difference to Australia’s national security (44% each). A sizeable minority (39%) say that foreign aid hurts Australia’s economy, while a third (32%) say it makes no difference.