Some 37 per cent of Australians believe we should protect ourselves from the world, the survey found. Credit:Michel Bunn More than 70 per cent of Australians believe the nation "needs a strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerful" and nearly half believe "to fix the country, we need a strong leader willing to break the rules", the survey found. Over two-thirds (68 per cent) believe "the economy is rigged to the advantage of the rich and powerful" and 61 per cent believe "traditional parties and politicians don't care about people like me". Notably, Australians were more likely than most around the world to want a strong leader to take the country back, with 71 per cent of Australian respondents supporting this statement, compared with 69 per cent in the US, 67 per cent in Great Britain and 63 per cent globally.

And it's not just the political elite Australians distrust. Sixty per cent believe that "experts in this country don't understand the lives of people like me", according to the survey. It's a sign that Trump's America and the wave of resentment he rode to the White House may be closer to home than we think, experts say. "We should be concerned," said Carol Johnson, Professor of Politics and International Studies at the University of Adelaide. "If there's anything we can learn from Trump's victory and from Brexit, it's that these forces can emerge far more quickly than mainstream politicians and commentators expect."

While previous surveys have shown some dissatisfaction with traditional politics, these latest findings come at a time of declining primary votes for both Australia's major parties, she said. "While there has been distrust before, these are very high figures," Professor Johnson said. "I think they are a sign that in economic policy in particular the major parties need to think about whether they have been adequately addressing the concerns of voters."

Globally, 69 per cent believed the economy was rigged to favour the elite, 57 per cent of people believed their country was in decline and 43 per cent believed their lives would be worse than their parents', the Ipsos survey found. Ipsos Social Research Institute director David Elliott said recent political events had galvanised populist forces across the globe. "There is growing discontent and with things like Brexit and Trump, people holding similar views feel more confident to speak out about it," Ipsos Social Research Institute director David Elliott said. "[In Australia] the increase of support for Pauline Hanson and her party in the previous election certainly supports that."

While Australia was on par with, or very close to, the global average for most of the survey's questions, Australians emerged as more likely than most to support closing the door on globalisation. More than 30 per cent of Australians see foreign business and trade as a threat, compared with 26 per cent globally, while 37 per cent believed we should protect ourselves from the world, compared with 31 per cent globally. Mr Elliott said Australian political discourse had focused heavily on immigration and refugees in recent years, often linking these issues with terrorism. "As we get more fearful of what might be coming to our shores, I think it's a natural reaction for people to want to huddle in and close the doors to the outside world," he said.

Professor Johnson said the major parties would find these results "very concerning". "Especially the Liberal Party, given that Malcolm Turnbull is a very strong supporter of globalisation and free trade," she said. "Both parties will be very worried that this anti-globalisation sentiment will encourage parties like One Nation, who have such a strong anti-globalisation stand." Professor Johnson said these sentiments were "fertile ground for the growth of right-wing populism", which often tried to tie the belief that elites haven't been pursuing the economic interests of ordinary workers to the idea that immigrants are getting more than their fair share.

However, she pointed out that it was not clear how respondents had interpreted the survey's questions and anti-elite, anti-establishment discontent could include people with either left-wing or right-wing political views. One bright spot in the survey found Australians were slightly less pessimistic than most people around the world. While half of Australian respondents believed their country was in decline, this was below the global average of 57 per cent and significantly lower than in countries such as the US (60 per cent), Spain (69 per cent) and South Africa (77 per cent). Similarly, 38 per cent of Australians said they felt their generation would have a worse life than their parents' generation, compared with 43 per cent globally and 47 per cent in the US.