For more than two decades, the annual poll has revealed how Australians feel about the world and their place in it. The 2026 Poll reports the results of a nationally representative survey on: global powers and world leaders; relations in the Indo-Pacific; safety and threats; defence and security; economic security; climate change and societal issues.

This report examines how China’s military build-up to 2035 might challenge assumptions about Australian security by scrutinising China’s long-range military capabilities today and in a decade’s time. It identifies shifts that affect Australian security regardless of China’s capacity to strike Australian territory.

This report discusses the failure of Western military institutions, including in Australia, to learn from modern wars, while other countries do. The paper’s five recommendations address culture change, promotion reform, AI-enabled learning, rapid drone capability development, and acquisition reform.

This paper argues Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite technology can help close Indo-Pacific connectivity gaps, but prohibitive costs are a limitation. Supportive regional policies and governance will be crucial. The paper makes a number of policy recommendations to support the expansion of Low Earth Orbit satellite technology.

Australia’s strategic anxiety and emphasis on security in the Pacific Islands region have increasingly dominated bilateral affairs in the past decade. This paper argues the result has been a reconfiguration of valued development cooperation, risking a neglect of historical and contemporary reciprocal relations, which in turn can undermine diplomatic trust-building.