CANBERRA, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Only 26 percent of Australians approve of the U.S. and Israel's strikes on Iran and half the population would oppose the deployment of Australian troops, a poll has found.
The latest edition of The Essential Report, a monthly poll on social and political issues conducted by independent firm Essential Research, found that 10 percent of Australians strongly approve and 16 percent approve of the U.S. and Israel's decision to initiate strikes on Iran.
By comparison, 27 percent of respondents said they strongly disapprove of the war and 15 percent said they disapprove, with the remaining participants either neutral or unsure.
Asked about Australia's involvement in the ongoing conflict, 50 percent of participants in the poll said they would oppose sending troops to support U.S.-Israeli ground operations in Iran, compared to 21 percent who said they would support such a move.
Respondents were also more likely to oppose than support Australia sending weapons and equipment to support third-party nations impacted by Iranian retaliatory strikes, such as the United Arab Emirates.
A clear majority of respondents, 60 percent, were supportive of Australia working with international organizations to help peace talks and prevent further escalation.
In terms of diplomatic and trade relationships, 34 percent of participants in the poll said that Australia should be working less closely with the United States, up from 14 percent in 2021. ■
