Australians are increasingly concerned about the country’s security environment, and most feel the nation is underprepared for the threats it faces, according to new research by the ANU National Security College (NSC).
The study reveals that while most Australians feel government shares too little information about security threats, there is also appreciation of the complexity these issues present, and the risk that poorly-managed public communication could generate panic.
One finding cut across all locations in the College’s consultations around Australia: Australians understand national security as the peaceful continuity of everyday life, supporting a key survey insight that peaceful and safe communities are a clear national priority.
Between November 2024 and February 2026, NSC conducted the most extensive public consultation on national security undertaken in Australia: involving more than 20,000 Australians across three nationally representative survey waves, eight deliberative focus groups, 100 written submissions, and conversations with close to 500 participants from across the country.
Key findings include:
- Rising anxiety: worry about ’national security’ ratcheted up with each survey - from 42% of respondents in November 2024, to 50% in July 2025, and 64% by February 2026.
- Non-military threats prioritised as most ’serious’: in July 2025, Australians rated AI-enabled attacks (77%), severe economic crisis (75%), disruption to critical supplies (74%) and disinformation (73%) as more serious threats than a foreign military attack on Australia over the next decade.
- Australians expect shocks: on six issues - climate change impacts, AI-enabled attacks, disinformation, foreign interference, economic crisis and critical supply disruption - the proportion who consider the risk more likely than not ’to happen as a threat to Australia’ within five years was between 85% and 89%.
- War is not unthinkable: in July 2025, 68% considered it more likely than not that Australia would be involved in a military conflict with another country in the next five years. In the same survey, 45% considered a military attack on Australia probable within five years, with 43% feeling the consequences of such an attack would be catastrophic.
- Terrorism: concerns regarding terrorism saw the sharpest movement across the research period, rising from 55% rating it ’serious’ in November 2024 to 72% in February 2026, following the Bondi attack in December 2025.
- The preparedness gap: in July 2025, fewer than one-in-five respondents believed the nation is ’very’ or ’fully’ prepared across every one of the 15 threats surveyed. On most issues surveyed, most respondents said Australia is either ’slightly’ or ’moderately’ prepared.
"In a time when our security landscape is changing, it would be wrong to assume that Australians are complacent. Most are concerned and want to know more," said Professor Rory Medcalf AM, Head of NSC.
Focus groups conducted in November 2025 suggest much of the public wants to contribute to national security, but often doesn’t know how.
In the February 2026 survey, people were asked people about the extent to which they agreed that ’all Australians can do more to make our communities peaceful and safe’, specifically in the aftermath of the Bondi terrorist attack.
In response 71% agreed, including 32% who agreed strongly. Only 8% disagreed.
"We found that Australians draw a distinction between resilience in community spirit and resilience in capability, which they perceived as inadequate and under-resourced," said Tim Wilford, Director, Community Consultations at NSC.
Overall, the findings suggest that Australians are attuned to the risks that Australia faces, are concerned about national preparedness, and have an appetite to be part of security conversations - and importantly, national security solutions. This is both a challenge and an opportunity for those in a position to meet it.
The full report will be launched at NSC’s conference, Securing our Future: a ready and resilient Australia, on 24-25 March 2026.
