At a time of great uncertainty and geopolitical tension across Europe, the number of German citizens willing to take up arms and defend the country in the event of a military attack has increased — but less than a quarter of left-wing voters will be joining them.
A new survey conducted by the Bundeswehr’s Center for Military History and Social Sciences has revealed significant disparities in Germans’ willingness to defend their country with weapons in the event of war, with stark differences based on gender, age, and political affiliation.
The survey, published on Monday, found that 61 percent of German men under 50 are willing to fight for their country, compared to 21 percent of women in the same age group. Across both genders, 42 percent of respondents under 50 expressed readiness to take up arms for Germany, marking an increase of 3 percentage points from last year’s survey.
Supporters of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) showed the highest level of readiness, with 73 percent saying they would defend the country, followed by the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) at 61 percent.
A majority of voters of the center-right CDU/CSU were also willing to head to the frontline at 51 percent.
Green Party voters are apparently elitist cowards who want others to fight their wars, according to data from respected polling firms, writes John Cody for Remix News. https://t.co/oTSbOh4lOz
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) March 6, 2024At the other end of the spectrum, a majority of left-wing party supporters would refuse to defend the country with just 45 percent of those backing the governing Social Democrats (SPD) willing to fight.
Further down the scale, 32 percent of The Left party supporters would defend Germany from a military attack, while sympathizers of the newly formed BSW also showed low levels of willingness at 27 percent.
Supporters of the Green Party were the least committed, with just 22 percent responding affirmatively and 70 percent saying they would refuse to defend the country in the event of a conflict.
Those from higher net-income households were more likely to fight, with 45 percent of those in households earning above €4,000 per month compared to 32 percent of those earning less than €2,000 per month.
Similarly, the more educated a respondent was aligned with a greater willingness to take up arms — 46 percent of university-educated individuals compared to 32 percent of those who left education after secondary school.
At 48 percent, East Germans were the most supportive of defending the nation, followed by West Germans (44 percent), North Germans (39 percent), and those from southern German states (36 percent).
Citizens of a migration background were marginally less willing to fight than native Germans at 39 percent and 42 percent, respectively.
