Australians Back Education System but Grow Wary of AI in Classrooms, Survey Finds

Key Highlights :

Australians are positive about their education system (56% vs. 34% world) but are growing cautious towards AI, with 29% regarding it as a threat.

Almost half of Australians (47%) favor banning AI from schools, with strong support also found for banning smartphones and social media.

Key Background :

The Ipsos Education Monitor is an extensive global survey of public attitudes towards education and technology in 30 nations. The findings this year show that there is a stark contrast in Australia: faith in the quality of education is steadfast, but concerns about AI and classroom digital tools are quickly escalating.

Australians had their education system well above the world average, with 56% labeling it as "good." In contrast, only 34% of the overall respondents across the world shared the same sentiments. Singapore (77%), Ireland (71%), and India (65%) alone outscored Australia. In Australia itself, the highest rating state was New South Wales at 62%, followed by Victoria and Queensland, both at 53%.

But Australians are also aware of ongoing systemic issues. 29% named the lack of public funding as the greatest concern, followed by crowded classrooms (27%) and the wellbeing of teachers (26%). These results suggest an acknowledgment that although the education system is generally well-trusted, it is subject to increasing pressures that must be resolved to maintain its quality.

The technology role most especially AI was one of the major themes of this year's survey. Alarm regarding generative AI almost doubled, from 17% in 2024 to 29% in 2025. Australia ranks second only to Singapore when it comes to being concerned about AI in schools. Similarly, 47% of Australians agree to prohibit AI in schools, and the country is one of the most doubtful in the world, ranking below Canada, Ireland, and France only. Most likely, many interviewees perceive AI from the aspect of student abuse, not seeing it as a means that might help teachers with workload and administration.

Wider online concerns were also highly represented. Australians were strongly in favor of prohibiting access to social media for those below the age of 14, with 79% approval as opposed to a 71% global average. The same trend could be seen in views on smartphones in schools: 62% of Australians favored prohibition, versus 55% worldwide. Younger Australians were particularly less favorably inclined, which might be taken as an indication of a divide across generations in responses to technology in education.

Lastly, when questioned regarding the biggest issues faced by young Australians in the present day, mental health was the highest (38%), followed by bullying and peer pressure (37%). There were regional variations too, where mental health issues were highest in Queensland (47%), whereas in Victoria, violence and gangs had been mentioned by 38% of interviewees. These findings indicate that despite the technology, larger social issues still dominate public attitudes towards youth wellbeing.

About the Author

Mia Jones

Mia Jones is a Managing Editor at Education Excellence Magazine.