How Important Is Defense to Your Country?

Defense and foreign affairs are not on the very front of people's minds when it comes to domestic issues, a survey by Statista Consumer Insights has found. Only between one in ten and one in three people questioned in 32 countries said that they considered defense a very important issue for their nation. However, there have been major changes for some countries in the light of the Russia-Ukraine war, especially in Northern and Eastern Europe.

In the 2025/26 survey, Poland and South Korea were the countries most concerned with defense - with around 30 percent of respondents saying so - followed by Finland and Japan. Finland and Poland also saw the biggest increases opposite 2019, while sentiment for defense was also up in Germany and Sweden. South Korea, already defense-minded by the proximity to North Korea, saw levels of defense support decrease slightly opposite 2019.

In India, 16 percent said defense was an important issue, while this number stood at 11 percent in China, the same as in Switzerland, Brazil, the United Arab Emirate and Indonesia. The least people were concerned in Mexico, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Colombia, Austria and Singapore.