Daily Research News Online no. 1912 - Military Action or Not?

Military Action or Not?

October 4 2002

Just 44 per cent of adults in Britain feel that the use of military force is the most effective way to reduce international terrorism, according to research findings released this week by Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) and Gallup International Association (GIA). This compares to a global average (across 45 countries) of 55 per cent.

The TNS findings indicate that a significant proportion of the British public is not behind the Government's apparent plans for military intervention in co-operation with US forces. More than half of adults in Britain (52 per cent) at the present time believe that 'US foreign policy has a negative effect on Britain', in comparison to less than three out of ten (29 per cent) surveyed in December 2001. Similarly, American support for US foreign policy has declined during this period. More than one third (36 per cent) of people in America agree that US foreign policy has a negative impact on their country, compared to just 17 per cent of people surveyed 10 months earlier.

The findings also reveal that just half of all adults in Britain (51 per cent) trust the Government 'to operate in the best interests of society'. This compares to more than eight out of ten (82 per cent) who trust the Armed Forces and three quarters (75 per cent) of who trust the UN 'to operate in the best interests of society'.

Other key findings include:

Only a quarter of Britons (27 per cent) believe that the 'UK is governed by the will of the people' compared to the majority (70 per cent) who disagree with this statement.
'Poverty', 'terrorism' and 'wars & conflicts' were viewed as the three 'most important problems facing the world today' by adults in Britain.
On a global level, 'environmental threats and pollution' were seen as a greater problem than 'wars and conflicts'.

Tony Cowling, Executive Chairman, Taylor Nelson Sofres, commented 'Given that there is no clear consensus among the British population for a military offensive against terrorism, more work may need to be done by the Government to win over the support of the public for any planned action in the future.'

Research was undertaken by TNS and GIA between July and August 2002 across 45 countries. The results involved 35,000 interviews, representing the views of more than 1.4 billion people on all continents.

All articles 2006-22 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.