UK public opinion on security and military spending

This hybrid roundtable will discuss the research of two scholars studying public attitudes to security and military spending in the UK. Dr Tom Martin of Open University and Dr Francesco Rigoli of City St Georges will share their findings and discuss the implications for policy-makers, practitioners and activists.

In person attendance is by invite only. Online attendance is open to all.

Tom Martin – Public opinion and national security in the UK

The defence and national security strategies the UK government published in 2025 concentrate on the threat posed by Russia, and in response call for the public to get behind a costly drive to modernise and strengthen the British military. Dr Tom Martin draws on a new nationally representative public opinion survey, finding that the public is concerned about a wide range of security challenges, and supports an equally wide range of policy responses. His research draws attention to the party politics of national security, showing how supporters of different political parties have markedly different views on threats and policy responses. He will explore the implications of the public’s complex and polarised ideas about security.

Thomas Martin is Senior Lecturer in International Studies at the Open University.

Francesco Rigoli – UK military spending and support for Ukraine

Dr Francesco Rigoli is conducting two research projects that investigate public opinion about the British government’s plans to boost military spending substantially in response to the ongoing war in Ukraine. The first focuses on opinions about the war in Ukraine, while the second examines opinions about military spending. The central question of both projects is how public opinion varies based on a person’s party preference. His findings depict a complex picture in which voters’ support for higher military spending and support for Ukraine are often not closely linked.

He will also present data from an experiment assessing the efficacy of different messages in influencing attitudes towards military spending. This reveals that a message about the direct threat posed by Russia to the UK is the most effective in boosting support for military spending. Meanwhile, a message that emphasises the need for increasing taxes to finance military spending is the most effective in reducing support for military spending.

Francesco Rigoli is Reader in Psychology at City St George’s, University of London.

Rethinking Security is committed to a much wider, more inclusive conversation about security and has conducted its own nationally representative public opinion surveys on attitudes to security as well as analysed how surveying methodologies and framings can influence the findings and reception of survey data in the media and wider UK security discourse and policy.

This event aims to continue the discussion on public attitudes to security at a time when the UK government says it is committed to a national conversation on security and defence but is yet to follow up. At a time of large military spending increases and international development and peacebuilding cuts, the speakers will help unpack what the public prioritises in terms of its security and what responses it is willing to resource. 

Online registration will close two hours before the event begins.