According to the 2025 Lowy Institute Poll, which surveys the attitudes of Australians to the world, there has been little change to the views about the number of international students enrolled at Australian universities in comparison to 2020. The result may surprise some, given apparent shifts in community attitudes about international students, Australian universities and social licence in 2024 and in the lead up to the last Federal election.
The 2025 Poll found that 42 per cent of respondents think that the number of international students enrolled at Australian universities is too high, compared to 43 per cent in 2020.
The number of respondents who think that the international student numbers are about right dipped slightly from 52 per cent to 49 per cent. However, there was a similar increase in the number of respondents who think the number is too low, rising from 3 per cent in 2020 to 7 per cent in 2025.
Respondents were also asked about Australia’s immigration program and whether the total number of migrants coming to Australia each year is too high, too low, or about right. More than half (53%) said that the total number is too high, which was a similar response to the 2028 poll (54%) and 5 per cent higher than in 2024 (48%).
Now in its twenty-first year, the annual poll reports the results of a nationally representative survey of 2117 Australian residents aged 18 and above.
The Poll also covers attitudes to areas such as global powers and world leaders, relations in the Indo-Pacific, safety and threats, defence and security, economy and trade, climate change and energy, and foreign aid.
Full results of the Poll are available here.
