Survey finds Europe’s security challenge is no longer just awareness of conflict, but readiness to respond

PA Consulting, a Jacobs company, has released its latest Secure Futures report, finding that while Europeans increasingly recognise the need for stronger defence, confidence in national preparedness and public readiness to support resilience has not kept pace.

Based on a survey of 6,000 citizens across nine NATO countries – the UK, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Germany, Poland, Estonia, and Finland – the report finds that Europe’s long-term security will depend not only on investment in military capabilities, but also on stronger alliances, faster innovation and greater societal resilience.

Key findings include:

• Finland and Sweden are the only countries where citizens feel their nation is more prepared than unprepared to deal with major security threats. Confidence in national preparedness is weakest in Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK, where fewer than three in ten citizens believe their country is ready to respond to major security threats.
• Across Europe, citizens are more likely to say their country is spending too little on defence rather than too much. In the UK, 48 percent believe the government is not spending enough on defence. However, there is inconsistency in respondents believing that defence spending should be prioritised over other public services or through higher taxes.
• Across the countries surveyed, cyber-attacks are viewed as the biggest threat to national security over the next decade, ranking above terrorist attacks and conventional warfare. Military and adversarial use of space is the lowest-ranked threat across countries, despite being a key concern for leaders.
• Countries have varying levels of trust in organisations such as NATO to help keep them safe. More than 70 percent of Norwegian respondents say alliances will keep their country safe in the next decade. However, less than half of people in Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Poland see alliances as reliable.
• Citizens are willing to contribute during a crisis through humanitarian assistance, civil emergency support and community activities. Yet support is lower for enlisting in military service, taking frontline roles in the police and armed forces, or taking on certain specialist roles, such as cybersecurity.

The report highlights examples from across Europe and NATO allies that demonstrate what progress can look like in practice, from stronger international defence partnerships and accelerated innovation programmes to Sweden’s Total Defence model and Finland’s Comprehensive Security approach. Together, these initiatives show how governments, industry and citizens can work in concert to strengthen resilience in an increasingly uncertain world.

Methodology

PA Consulting commissioned Opinium Research to survey 6,000 citizens across nine NATO countries: the UK, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Germany, Poland, Estonia and Finland. Fieldwork was conducted online in June 2026 using nationally representative samples of adults as part of a multi-country public opinion study. The research explored public perceptions of conflict risk, trust in key institutions, defence spending priorities, and willingness to contribute to national resilience in the event of a major security crisis.