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Biggest threats to Australia

4 Aug 2015

Q. Which of the following international issues represents the biggest threat to Australia? And which is the second biggest threat? 

  Total Biggest threat Second biggest threat   Vote Labor Vote Lib/Nat Vote Greens Vote Other
Global economic instability 55% 25% 30% 51% 58% 59% 55%
Terrorism 47% 26% 21% 48% 54% 21% 46%
Climate change 38% 22% 16% 47% 18% 72% 31%
Chinese economic slowdown 36% 20% 16% 31% 44% 27% 36%
Fighting in the Middle East 12% 3% 9% 10% 13% 9% 15%
Tensions between China and its neighbours 9% 4% 5% 11% 8% 8% 13%
Tensions between Russia and its neighbours 3% 1% 2% 3% 4% 3% 5%

55% think that global economic instability is one of the two biggest threats to Australia and 47% nominated terrorism as one of the biggest threats.

38% think climate change is one of the two biggest threats and 36% nominated the Chinese economic slowdown.

Labor voters think global economic instability, terrorism and climate change represent similar levels of threat while Liberal/National voters were more likely to think the Chinese economic slowdown was a threat. Only 18% of Liberal/National voters thought climate change was one of the two biggest threats to Australia.

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