Only about one in six Germans say they would be willing to take up arms without hesitation in the event of a military conflict, according to a new survey, reported dpa.
Conducted by the German opinion institute Forsa for the RND media group, the poll found that 16% of respondents said they would "definitely" fight, while another 22% said they would "probably" do so.
A clear majority of 59% said they would "probably not" or definitely not be willing to defend Germany with weapons if the country were attacked. Among women, that reluctance rises to 72%.
At the same time, more than one in four respondents (27%) said they considered a military attack on Germany within the next five years to be very or somewhat likely.
Meanwhile, 59% of those surveyed said they believed it was likely that Germany would have to provide military assistance to another NATO member under its mutual defence obligations during that period.
The survey of around 1,000 German citizens was conducted by Forsa on July 28 and July 29, amid heightened debate over the country's defence readiness.
The results carry a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
