War and Defence Attitudes: A First Look at Survey Data from 14 Countries

Abstract

This article presents the empirical findings of attitudes towards war and defence from 14 countries as measured by the International Values Study in 1981-82. The US shows the highest level of fear that the country will be involved in a major war within the next five years. Hungary, the single Eastern Euro pean nation included, records a very low level of fear of war involvement, and is in this regard, close to Norway and Sweden. Hungary, Norway, Sweden, and the US all have a public that records a strong wil lingness to defend the country in case of war. The defence will is much weaker in the nations of conti nental Europe, especially Belgium, Italy, and West Germany. Some of the factors that can be used to account for differences between the countries are: Geopolitical vulnerability, historical experiences of defeat and sufferings in war, and the degree of international involvements of a nation.

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