Trump critical threat to Australian interests: Poll

At least 42 per cent of Australians consider US President Donald Trump a critical threat to their country's interests, according to a poll published on Wednesday.

The annual poll conducted by the Lowy Institute also showed that 76 per cent of Australians considered the alliance between their country and the US either "very" or "fairly" important for Australia's security while 64 per cent believed that Australia should remain close to the US under Trump's Presidency, Efe news reported.

The institute, which tracks Australians' attitudes towards international affairs, climate change, immigration and democracy, also revealed that 55 per cent of the respondents said they trust the US to "act responsibly in the world", a six-point drop since 2017.

When asked what were the "critical threats" to Australia's interests in the next 10 years, 66 per cent of the respondents said "international terrorism" and an equal number said "North Korea's nuclear programme" while 58 per cent said "climate change".

With regards to immigration, 54 per cent of Australians said the total number of migrants coming into the country was too high while 41 per cent said if Australia was too open to people from all over the world, it risked losing its identity as a nation.

--IANS

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