A new poll has found that half of the British public would not fight for the country under any circumstances. The survey, conducted by Ipsos, comes amid growing concern about threats from nations including Russia, China and Iran.
According to the findings, 48 per cent of respondents said they would not take up arms for any reason. This figure is unchanged from when the same question was asked in April last year. Meanwhile, 36 per cent said there were circumstances in which they would fight, a slight increase from the 35 per cent who said the same last year.
Expert Caution on Wartime Behaviour
Hamish Mundell, an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, noted that the polling raises questions about ‘Britain’s willingness to fight and make sacrifices’. However, he argued that the results do not suggest the country would be unable to mobilise in the event of a conflict.
Speaking to the Press Association, Mundell said: “I think the most important thing to take away from this polling is that we should be careful about confusing what people say they would do in peacetime with how they might actually behave in a national emergency… I can’t see the number of people willing to fight decreasing if the UK started suffering at the hands of a foreign power during a conflict.”
Gender and Age Differences
The poll also highlighted notable differences among demographic groups. A greater proportion of men than any other group said they would fight, with 48 per cent of men stating there were circumstances in which they would go to war, compared to 40 per cent who said they would not be willing to do so.
In contrast, a majority of women and people aged 35-54 said they would not fight. Despite this, Ipsos found that 51 per cent of people backed an increase in defence spending, nearly double the 28 per cent who supported such a move in June 2022.
