Armed Forces and Society. Dutch Public Opinion on the Military and Defence in Comparative Perspective

Like its counterparts in other liberal democracies, the Dutch military is in a transformation away from an interventionist force to carry out peace support missions abroad to an organization that prioritizes territorial defence. Such a transformation of the military can only be successful if it is sufficiently supported by society. Based on focus groups and survey research in the Netherlands, in Germany and in Lithuania, this project will gain an in-depth understanding of a) the motivations of citizens to contribute to their country’s defense by joining the armed forces or in other ways; b) the attitudes of citizens towards the military, especially with a view to the military’s core mission, to the current transformation from interventionism to territorial defense, and to increased defense spending; c) the role of gender in structuring citizens’ attitudes; d) the impact of conflicts, such the Russian war against Ukraine and the war between Israel and Hamas on citizen attitudes towards the military, its mission, and their own role in security and defense.

Na vele jaren van militaire missies in het buitenland, waaronder Afghanistan, Mali en de Balkan, bevindt de Nederlandse krijgsmacht zich nu in een transformatie. In plaats van capaciteiten om deel te nemen aan interventies elders, geeft het nu prioriteit aan de verdediging van Nederland en zijn bondgenoten in de NAVO tegen dreigingen van buitenaf. In ons project onderzoeken we hoe burgers over deze transformatie denken. Om beter te begrijpen wat er zo bijzonder is aan de houding van Nederlandse burgers, vergelijken we deze met de publieke opinie in Duitsland en Litouwen.