The Most And Least Willing Among NATO Allies – Analysis
March 21, 2026
Published by the Foreign Policy Research Institute
By Māris Andžāns
(FPRI) — If a war were to break out, would you be willing to fight for your country? This is a shortened version of the question used in the World Values Survey and the European Values Study since the early 1980s to assess citizens’ willingness to fight.
Over the past few years, the willingness to fight has drawn greater attention, especially since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. This war underscored the importance of citizen morale in resisting an invader. Ukrainians mounted a strong resistance against the invading force. If Ukrainian society had simply accepted Russia’s assault, the war might have ended sooner, with Ukraine losing.
But what about readiness to fight for NATO member states? To find this, the willingness-to-fight question was asked, for the first time, in a single poll across all NATO member states. A poll commissioned by Riga Stradins University, in cooperation with the Center for Geopolitical Studies Riga, was conducted in September and October 2025. With more than 31,000 respondents, the survey was nationally representative in each country.
According to the poll, the five countries with the highest share of citizens willing to fight for their country are Turkey (88 percent), Albania (69 percent), Sweden (66 percent), Finland (64 percent), and Montenegro (63 percent). Completing the top 10 are Greece (also 63 percent), Norway (61 percent), Lithuania (52 percent), Poland, and Slovenia (both 49 percent).
The strong willingness to fight in Turkey and the Nordic states, especially Sweden and Finland, is not surprising—previous studies corroborate this. The Turkish case has been explained by the volatile geopolitical context, and the Nordic case by the desire to preserve their lifestyles, combined with the threats from Russia.
Interestingly, Russia’s belligerence has not affected the will to fight equally among its closest and historically most affected neighbors, the Baltic states. While Lithuania, with 52 percent, ranks among the top 10 in NATO, Estonia and Latvia rank lower with 45 percent and 37 percent respectively. In both cases, views among their Russian-speakers have traditionally lowered the national average willingness to fight.
The only two North American NATO allies are ranked slightly below the midpoint. In Canada, 39 percent of respondents said they were ready to fight for their country, and a similar share in the United States (37 percent) said the same.
The countries with the lowest shares of citizens willing to fight for their country in NATO are Italy, Slovakia (both 25 percent), Germany (27 percent), the Netherlands (30 percent), Hungary, and the Czech Republic (both 33 percent). This is not surprising—these countries face no immediate military threat. Also, previous studies have found that willingness to fight has traditionally been lower in Germany and Italy, owing especially to their World War II experiences and the stigma that has accompanied those wars.
Polls like this do not guarantee that people in crisis would act as they have said they would in a casual public poll. In real life, factors such as the speed and scale of the conflict, the effectiveness of military self-defense, the support of allied countries, and personal and family circumstances can influence judgments and the (un)willingness to fight for one’s own country.
Findings from this poll should remind NATO and its member states that threat perceptions and populations’ readiness to back their countries and armed forces vary significantly. Some allies should learn lessons from others.
This study was supported by the European Union Recovery and Resilience Facility and the Republic of Latvia under the Grant “Why People Would (Not) Fight for Their Own Country in a War? NATO Member States at a Cross-Section” (No. RSU-ZG-2024/1-0001) within the project “RSU Internal and RSU with LASE External Consolidation” (No. 5.2.1.1.i.0/2/24/I/CFLA/005).
March 21, 2026
Published by the Foreign Policy Research Institute
By Māris Andžāns
(FPRI) — If a war were to break out, would you be willing to fight for your country? This is a shortened version of the question used in the World Values Survey and the European Values Study since the early 1980s to assess citizens’ willingness to fight.
Over the past few years, the willingness to fight has drawn greater attention, especially since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. This war underscored the importance of citizen morale in resisting an invader. Ukrainians mounted a strong resistance against the invading force. If Ukrainian society had simply accepted Russia’s assault, the war might have ended sooner, with Ukraine losing.
But what about readiness to fight for NATO member states? To find this, the willingness-to-fight question was asked, for the first time, in a single poll across all NATO member states. A poll commissioned by Riga Stradins University, in cooperation with the Center for Geopolitical Studies Riga, was conducted in September and October 2025. With more than 31,000 respondents, the survey was nationally representative in each country.
According to the poll, the five countries with the highest share of citizens willing to fight for their country are Turkey (88 percent), Albania (69 percent), Sweden (66 percent), Finland (64 percent), and Montenegro (63 percent). Completing the top 10 are Greece (also 63 percent), Norway (61 percent), Lithuania (52 percent), Poland, and Slovenia (both 49 percent).
The strong willingness to fight in Turkey and the Nordic states, especially Sweden and Finland, is not surprising—previous studies corroborate this. The Turkish case has been explained by the volatile geopolitical context, and the Nordic case by the desire to preserve their lifestyles, combined with the threats from Russia.
Interestingly, Russia’s belligerence has not affected the will to fight equally among its closest and historically most affected neighbors, the Baltic states. While Lithuania, with 52 percent, ranks among the top 10 in NATO, Estonia and Latvia rank lower with 45 percent and 37 percent respectively. In both cases, views among their Russian-speakers have traditionally lowered the national average willingness to fight.
The only two North American NATO allies are ranked slightly below the midpoint. In Canada, 39 percent of respondents said they were ready to fight for their country, and a similar share in the United States (37 percent) said the same.
The countries with the lowest shares of citizens willing to fight for their country in NATO are Italy, Slovakia (both 25 percent), Germany (27 percent), the Netherlands (30 percent), Hungary, and the Czech Republic (both 33 percent). This is not surprising—these countries face no immediate military threat. Also, previous studies have found that willingness to fight has traditionally been lower in Germany and Italy, owing especially to their World War II experiences and the stigma that has accompanied those wars.
Polls like this do not guarantee that people in crisis would act as they have said they would in a casual public poll. In real life, factors such as the speed and scale of the conflict, the effectiveness of military self-defense, the support of allied countries, and personal and family circumstances can influence judgments and the (un)willingness to fight for one’s own country.
Findings from this poll should remind NATO and its member states that threat perceptions and populations’ readiness to back their countries and armed forces vary significantly. Some allies should learn lessons from others.
This study was supported by the European Union Recovery and Resilience Facility and the Republic of Latvia under the Grant “Why People Would (Not) Fight for Their Own Country in a War? NATO Member States at a Cross-Section” (No. RSU-ZG-2024/1-0001) within the project “RSU Internal and RSU with LASE External Consolidation” (No. 5.2.1.1.i.0/2/24/I/CFLA/005).
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