Public Reluctance to Serve
A new survey conducted by Ipsos indicates that nearly half of the British public is unwilling to participate in warfare regardless of the situation. Specifically, 48% of respondents stated they would not carry weapons under any conditions. This figure has remained stable since April 2025, showing no change despite growing concerns regarding potential threats from nations such as Russia, China, and Iran. In contrast, only 36% of participants identified scenarios in which they would be willing to fight, a number closely mirroring the 35% recorded in the previous year.
Divergence Between Peace and War Readiness
Hamish Mandel, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, cautioned against interpreting these peacetime sentiments as definitive indicators of national military capability. He emphasized to the Press Association that there is a distinct difference between what individuals claim they would do during calm periods and their actual behavior during national emergencies. Mandel suggested that military planners are unlikely to view these statistics with alarm, noting that the primary challenge lies not in recruiting enough volunteers but in the capacity to train and equip them effectively. He further argued that the number of people willing to fight would likely not decrease even if the United Kingdom faced an external attack during a conflict.
Demographic and Financial Divides
The data revealed notable demographic splits. Men were the only group where those willing to fight outnumbered those who refused; 48% of men expressed readiness to engage in combat under specific conditions, compared to 40% who declined. Conversely, a majority of women and individuals aged between 35 and 54 reported they would not participate in fighting. Despite this individual hesitation, support for defense budgets has surged. Fifty-one percent of respondents now favor increasing defense expenditure, a sharp increase from the 28% who supported this direction in June 2022.
Funding Defense Priorities
While support for higher spending is high, opinions on how to finance it remain divided among supporters. Thirty-seven percent believe costs should be covered by reducing spending in other sectors, while 36% agreed to pay higher taxes themselves. The most popular method, however, was imposing income tax increases on earners making more than 125 thousand pounds annually, a proposal backed by 46% of participants. Mandel described these findings as unsurprising but expressed frustration over the lack of government leadership in establishing a clear path to meet NATO commitments, specifically the goal of allocating 3.5% of GDP to defense.
