Survey shines light on Australia’s view of ADF

The UNSW Canberra War Studies Research Group has recently completed a survey of attitudes towards the Australian Defence Force.

Led by Dr Richard Dunley and Dr Nicole Townsend, the survey follows on from one completed in 2025 and offers insight into how perceptions have changed over the past year.

Key findings

• More than 40% of people believe Australia should introduce a compulsory national service for young people using conscription.
• Support for the ADF working closely with its allies, notably the United States, dropped by almost 20% (to 54%) since the 2025 survey. Respondents placed greater value on Australian self-reliance when it came to defence. 
• Terrorism and cyber attacks are viewed as greater threats than major conflict.
• There continues to be limited support for increased funding for the ADF, despite an acknowledgement of growing global insecurity. In fact, those that believe the ADF is over-funded grew by 4% from the 2025 survey. 
• The Army maintained its spot as the service most people believe is most important to Australia’s defence, with the Navy trailing in third. This is at odds with the federal government’s maritime focus and the AUKUS agreement.
• Nearly 70% of people said they trust in the ADF as an institution and 65% trust it to act ethically.
• More than 82% of people supported the ADF carrying out disaster relief and humanitarian work in Australia, while 68% supported the ADF fulfilling that role for neighbouring countries.

View the full survey report HERE…

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Photo by Leading Seaman David Cox.

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