Fifty-six per cent of Britons want the government to spend more on defence, the first majority since the question was first asked, while 17 per cent want less, according to the British Social Attitudes survey published by the National Centre for Social Research.
Support has doubled in two decades, from 28 per cent in 2006 to 42 per cent in 2022. Among Labour supporters it has risen from 28 per cent in 2024 to 55 per cent, against 76 per cent of Conservatives, 83 per cent of Reform UK supporters and 62 per cent of Liberal Democrats. Green supporters are the exception, with 47 per cent favouring less spending and 21 per cent more. Support among women rose from 40 per cent in 2025 to 52 per cent, against 60 per cent among men. The survey links spending to threat perceptions, finding that 64 per cent of those who see five or more of seven countries as a serious threat to peace back more spending, against 38 per cent of those who name three or fewer.
Sixty-two per cent of those aged 55 and over back more spending, against 47 per cent of those aged 35 to 54 and 30 per cent of under-35s, and support among the over-55s is 16 points higher than in 2016 while among under-35s it is three points lower. In 2025, defence became the first priority for government spending for 10 per cent of Britons, the first time it has reached double figures in 40 years, though health at 41 per cent and education at 17 per cent remain well ahead.
The report finds that support for defence spending varies with views on welfare but does not follow a simple trade-off. Sixty per cent of the third least sympathetic to welfare back more defence spending, against 36 per cent of the most sympathetic third, yet support for defence spending is the same, at 50 per cent, whether people want more or less spent on retired people.
The gap is 26 points for benefits for single parents and 22 points for unemployed people, which the report says “suggests where a government that is seeking savings to fund defence might encounter less public resistance.” It adds that other surveys by Ipsos and YouGov show support for higher defence spending often falls when people are asked whether they would accept higher taxes, more borrowing or cuts to public services.
Sophia Gaston, the report’s author, said: “The post-Cold War peace that endured for so many years no longer shapes the country’s worldview. War in Europe, instability in the Middle East, strategic competition with China and doubts about American leadership have led to a psychological shift in Britain, putting foreign policy and national security at the heart of the collective consciousness.”
The 2026 figures come from 1,985 interviews on the NatCen Opinion Panel between 30 April and 31 May. The Chancellor set a target date of 2030 for defence spending to reach 3 per cent of GDP in last week’s Budget, and the government remains committed to NATO’s target of 3.5 per cent on core defence by 2035.
