Poll: Only 1 in 6 Germans Would Take Up Arms to Defend Country

Only one in six Germans say they are willing to take up arms to defend their country in the event of an armed conflict, according to a poll published on Sunday.

According to the survey by the German institute Forsa for the media group RND, 16% of respondents said they would 'definitely' fight, while an additional 22% answered that they would 'probably' do so.

However, a clear majority, 59% of participants, answered 'probably' or 'definitely' no. Among women, the reluctance increases to 72%.

At the same time, more than a quarter of the sample (27%) considers it likely that Germany will suffer a military attack within the next five years.

In addition, 59% of those surveyed believe that there is a possibility that Germany will need to defend another NATO member state in the next five years.

The poll was conducted on a sample of 1,000 German citizens between July 28 and 29, with a statistical margin of error of ±3%.