Almost half of Australians think foreign military will attack within five years, ANU study suggests

University polling and focus groups found sharpest increase in those worried about national security was cohort aged 18 to 24

Nearly half of Australians believe a foreign military will attack the country within five years, as anxiety over national security issues rises sharply, a new study suggests.

The Australian National University’s National Security College report found that two-thirds of those polled in 2026, including an increasing number of teenagers and young adults, were worried about national security issues.