Bringing back National Service 1950s-style gets big thumbs down in survey

Young people are strongly against compulsory National Service, particularly any scheme that looked like the original that ran through the 1950s, a study has found.

The YouGov survey looked at what forms of National Service Britons would support, with 12 different variations being put to the public.

This included whether any National Service should be compulsory, military or civilian and how long it should last for.

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No compulsory scheme received overall support, with the option that was most similar to the original National Service proving the most unpopular, with only 28% supporting the scheme.

A one-month version of the original National Service was equally unpopular, with support standing at 29%.

Young Britons were particularly opposed to a compulsory year-long military service, and support for all of the schemes was lowest among 18 to 24-year-olds, which is the age group that would be targeted under any of the National Service options.

Within this age group, resistance was highest for the year-long compulsory military service, with just 10% supporting it and 78% opposing it, including 67% who "strongly" opposed it.

Support for the original form of military service increased among every subsequent age group, reaching a maximum of 46% among those aged 65 and above, although an equal amount said they would oppose the scheme.

However, the results did show Britons were more likely to support voluntary and community schemes over compulsory and military ones.

All voluntary schemes were supported by a majority of people, with the most popular being a month-long community service-only scheme. This received 72% support, while the year long equivalent proved similarly popular at 69%.

In 2021, French President Emmanuel Macron put in place a new voluntary scheme allowing participants to spend a month in either a military or community setting. 

This version of community service was supported by 64% of Britons, with an almost identical 65% backing a year-long version.