How Important Is Defense to Your Country?

Defense and global affairs are not on the very front of peoples' minds when it comes to domestic issues, a survey by Statista Consumer Insights has found. Only between one in ten and one in three people questioned in 21 countries said that they considered defense an important issue for their nation. However, there have been major changes for some countries in the light of the Russia-Ukraine war, especially in Northern and Eastern Europe.

In the 2024 survey, Poland was the country most concerned with defense - with 35 percent of respondents saying so - followed by Finland, South Korea and Sweden. Finland and Poland also saw the biggest increases opposite 2019, while sentiment for defense was also up in Germany and Sweden. Japan andSouth Korea, already defense-minded by the proximity to North Korea, saw levels of defense support staying relatively stable.

In India, 14 percent said defense was an important issue, about as many as in Australia and China. The least people were concerned in Mexico and Switzerland.