Canberra, March 25 (IANS) Only 26 per cent of Australians approve of the US 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 per cent of Australians strongly approve and 16 per cent approve of the US and Israel’s decision to initiate strikes on Iran, Xinhua news agency reported.
By comparison, 27 per cent of respondents said they strongly disapprove of the war and 15 per cent said they disapprove, with the remaining participants either neutral or unsure.
Asked about Australia’s involvement in the ongoing conflict, 50 per cent of participants in the poll said they would oppose sending troops to support US-Israeli ground operations in Iran, compared to 21 per cent 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 per cent, were supportive of Australia working with international organizations to help peace talks and prevent further escalation.
In terms of diplomatic and trade relationships, 34 per cent of participants in the poll said that Australia should be working less closely with the United States, up from 14 per cent in 2021.
The poll of 1,008 people last week found 43 per cent disapproved of the US and Israeli bombardment of Iran, while just 26 per cent backed the move. Some 31 per cent were unsure or responded “don’t know”.
–IANS
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