Public Perceptions of the Armed Forces
Principal Investigator: Professor Christopher Dandeker
Co-Principal Investigators: Professor Simon Wessely, Dr Nicola Fear,
Dr Susan Klein, Professor David Alexander
(Aberdeen Centre for Trauma Research),
Liz Clery (NAT CEN)
Research Assistant: Rachael Gribble
Some recent evidence suggest that although the public have become less supportive of the UK’s military involvement in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, their support of the Armed Forces themselves has increased.
This study will measure:
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public attitudes towards Service and ex-Service personnel (veterans)
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the public's views on the recent conflict in Iraq
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and the ongoing campaign in Afghanistan and the interaction between these two sets of attitudes
For a more detailed account, please click here
This research, which is funded by the ESRC, will shed light on these complexities, testing the strength of society's support of the military, which is one aspect of the 'military covenant' - a set of mutual social obligations connecting government, Armed Forces and the wider public. The idea of the 'military covenant', developed in military doctrine has migrated rapidly to wider public debates about military society relations.
29th British Social Attitudes Report:
The UK's Armed Forces: public support for the troops, but not their missions?
NatCen Social Research Blog:
Are the British public behind the UK Armed Forces?