Majority of UK public believes Armed Forces are good value for money, research reveals

Nearly two-thirds (64%) of the British public believe the Armed Forces are good value for money, according to new research.

The poll by market research company Ipsos, conducted on 24-25 September 2022, also showed that the Armed Forces (66%) was the third most-favoured British institution, behind the fire service (78%) and NHS (72%)  – and three times more than Parliament (22%).

There are however some doubts over the forces' provision of mental health care and support for personnel after they leave.

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The confidence in the abilities of the Armed Forces to provide mental health care was polled at just (38%), with support for personnel after they have left their duties similarly low (37%).

When it comes to money, the poll shows that 1 in three (34%) thought that defence spending should stay at its current level, while (30%) believe it should increase.

However, further results showed that people tended to overestimate how much the British Government actually spends on defence, with an average guess of £20.34 out of every £100 going to the Armed Forces, when the actual proportion was 5.2% in 2020/21, according to the Ministry of Defence (MOD).