A new poll shows a vast majority of Australians do not believe the Iraq war has reduced the threat of terrorism.

The poll was from the Lowy Institute for International Policy, an independent international policy think tank based in Sydney, Australia's largest city.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) radio on Monday quoted the poll as saying that 84 percent of Australians polled do not believe the war in Iraq has reduced the threat of terrorism.

Ninety-one percent of those surveyed believe the war has damaged the United States' reputation in the Muslim world.

The poll also finds the majority of people surveyed do not believe the war will lead to the spread of democracy in the Middle East.

The institute's director, Allan Gyngell, said there is "no doubt" now about what Australians think of the war.

"...there's pretty strong agreement that it hasn't worked," he told ABC radio.

Meanwhile, the poll also shows Australians have differing opinions on the alliance with the United States.

"There are very interesting differences, it's a mixture of admiration and resentment and a very clear divide between way Australians see the alliance, and 70 percent of people this year found it was either very important or fairly important for Australia's security," Gyngell said.

"There's a very strong view that the U.S. has too much influence on our foreign policy," he said.

Source: Xinhua