Around a quarter of people, 29%, said they ‘definitely’ or ‘probably’ would fight if required, and a further 42% said ‘maybe’ or ‘unlikely’, while only 13% did not know
Voters are prepared to pay higher taxes to help fight a military threat, new polling has suggested.
A survey by Electoral Calculus and Find Out Now found 39% of the public think the country should spend more on defence to fight a military threat even if it means higher taxes, compared to 24% against.
The polling looked at public attitudes towards defence spending, and revealed serious concerns among the public, with 45% believing that Britain is at some risk of military attack from another country.
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Conservative and Reform voters are the most willing to pay more to strengthen Britain’s defences. Nearly two thirds of Conservatives (63%) agree that higher taxes are justified, as do just over half of Reform supporters at 54%. Support for raising taxes to fight a military threat is lowest among Labour voters, with just 41% agreeing.
It also suggested Over a quarter of Britons would “probably” fight for their country and two-thirds would possibly do so.
In a sign of the nation’s priorities, the poll also indicated the public were more concerned about the global economy (82%) and climate change (67%) as threats to Britain than military attack.
The polling also showed a significant number of people worried conflict could be imminent, with 32% believing it likely that Britain will be at war in the next five years.
In a hint of where the public stands on Donald Trump, the survey suggested 60% do not think they can usually rely on the United States for protection against military threats.
Responding, Labour MP and former marine Alex Ballinger said: “It’s no surprise that the public are concerned about defence. As Russia continues its illegal invasion of Ukraine, everyone can see the threat to the UK is increasing.”
“As a former Royal Marine, I’m pleased to see over a quarter of British people would be willing to fight for their country if the need arose. Today’s soldiers are just as likely to be fighting with drones and cyber as they would be on the frontlines, and I expect even more would be willing to serve if they knew the different contributions they could make.”
Martin Baxter, CEO of Electoral Calculus, said “The general public are a bit worried about defence.
“But the public is split on key questions about paying for extra defence spending, national service and taking part in combat.
“Defence is a tricky issue for Labour, as their own supporters are less keen on defence, but the international environment is turning chillier and a responsible government can’t ignore that.”
Prof Richard Rose, University of Strathclyde, said “The survey shows that more Britons are prepared to pay higher taxes to strengthen the military than to serve in a fighting capacity themselves.”