Half of Britons would refuse to fight for their country under any circumstances, Ipsos poll finds

An Ipsos poll finds just one in three Britons would take up arms to defend the UK, highlighting a significant NATO readiness gap.

Britons would fight for the UK, as polling finds opposition to defence spending rises sharply when personal taxes or public service cuts are mentioned.

A new Ipsos poll of 1,090 British adults finds that 48% would refuse to fight for Britain under any circumstances, a figure that has held steady since April 2025 despite a worsening global security picture. Just 36% say they would be willing to fight — barely a percentage point above last year's figure — as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander warns the alliance is 'ready to fight tonight'.

Among all demographic groups, only men showed majority willingness to fight (48%), outpacing those who would not (40%); every other group leaned toward refusal.

Support for higher defence spending stands at 51%, but turns to opposition the moment higher personal taxes or cuts to public services are raised.

Tom Tugendhat warns Britain's friends and enemies 'no longer believe we care about defending ourselves' as Russia threatens consequences for British-built drone strikes deep inside its territory.

The TelegraphHalf of Britons would refuse to fight for their country almayadeen.netPoll finds 48% of Britons unwilling to fight in a war - Howl.link The IndependentThe UK is being threatened – here’s why Gen Z would never fight back The IndependentJust one third of Britons say they would go to war for UK LBCHalf of Brits would not fight for UK under any circumstances amid alarm at potential war with Russia IpsosAttitudes to defence spending and personal trade-offs - Ipsos The TelegraphBritain’s friends and enemies no longer believe we care about defending ourselves

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