Only 25 per cent support Afghan war
Updated on 10 September 2009
UK support for the war in Afghanistan diminishes as 53 per cent say soldiers should not have been sent to the country, a survey published today suggests.
A survey for the National Army Museum found more than half said soldiers should not have been sent into Afghanistan, compared to a quarter (25 per cent) who agreed with the deployment.
Six out of ten people (60 per cent) also said they disagreed with British troops being sent into Iraq, compared with a fifth (20 per cent) who supported the policy.
The remainder of the 2,000-plus people questioned were either neutral, undecided or chose not to respond.
However the survey showed that although most disagreed with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan almost two-thirds would support their child's decision to join the Army.
64 per cent of parents would support their child if they wished to sign up, compared to just 32 per cent who said they would discourage them.
The figure differed between mothers and fathers. Only slightly more than a quarter (26 per cent) of men said they would discourage their child, compared to 36 per cent of women.
The positive response came despite misgivings about where soldiers have been sent in recent years.
Conflicts on British territory received greater support with more than half agreeing with the deployment of British troops to The Falklands (53 per cent) and to Northern Ireland (56 per cent).
Almost three-quarters (71 per cent) said defence of British territory and citizens was the primary function of the Army.
Only 13 per cent said international peace-keeping was its most important function and less than a quarter (23 per cent) of people questioned agreed with the Army's deployment to Bosnia-Herzegovina as part of a UN peace-keeping force in the 1990s.
The survey coincides with the opening of a major new exhibition, Conflicts of Interest, at the museum in Chelsea, London, on 12 September. The exhibition looks at the British Army's role since 1969.
Mairead O'Hara, exhibition team leader and curator in the exhibits department, said: "The survey results give an important insight into the British public's thinking about the role of today's armed forces, especially with regards to conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"At the museum we are offering the opportunity to debate the issues, with the new Conflicts of Interest gallery operating as a forum for discussion.
"The exhibition will include an interactive voting area, Conflicting Opinions, asking visitors to consider the reasons for and against going to war, and to leave behind their own thoughts in each case."
