CANBERRA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- A majority of Australians doubt that the country will ever receive nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS security agreement, a survey has found.
The survey, which was conducted by independent market research firm Essential Research as part of its fortnightly polling on Australian issues, found that 60 percent of respondents believe it is "not that likely" or "not likely at all" that the U.S. will ever deliver submarines to Australia under AUKUS.
Six percent of respondents to the survey, which is published by the Australian online edition of UK-based newspaper The Guardian, said they believe it is "very likely" that the AUKUS pact will deliver nuclear-powered submarines to Australia, and 34 percent said it is "quite likely."
A majority of respondents among all age groups and genders said they believe it is unlikely that Australia will receive the submarines. Respondents aged 55 and above were the most doubtful, with 65 percent saying the delivery of the submarines is "not that likely" or "not likely at all."
Asked about Australia's relationship with other countries, 40 percent rated that with the U.S. as "positive," down from 65 percent in November 2023.
In the same period, the proportion of respondents who rate Australia's relationships with China, the UK, the European Union and Pacific nations as positive has increased.
Over 40 percent of Australians now believe Israel should permanently withdraw its military action in Gaza, the poll found, compared to 32 percent in October 2024.
Support for a temporary ceasefire has also grown from 18 percent in October to 25 percent, while the proportion of respondents who said Israel is justified to continue military action in Gaza fell from 19 percent to 15 percent. Enditem
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