Almost half of Australians expect foreign military attack within five years

Nearly half of Australians believe a foreign military will attack the country within five years, the Australian National University’s National Security College found. The study, carried out between November 2024 and February 2026, examined the views of more than 20,000 Australians in surveys and focus groups and found rising anxiety about national security, including among teenagers and young adults.

Three in five respondents said they were worried about national security, with the sharpest increase among 18 to 24-year-olds: 55% in that age group said they worried about national security, up from 22% in November 2024. Australians named AI-enabled attacks, disinformation, critical supply disruptions, climate change impacts, foreign interference and severe economic crises among the threats they believed were likely by the end of the decade, with 85% or more of respondents saying each was likely.

Australia

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