Trends for NATO in the 1990s: an analysis of public opinion on defence and security issues in the United Kingdom and the Federal Republic of Germany

Abstract

This thesis is based on a study of public opinion polls conducted in the United Kingdom (UK) and the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) in the post-World War II era. The focus of the data is public opinion on defence and security issues until December 1986. Emphasis has been placed on the data recorded in the years since the NATO Long Range Theatre Nuclear Force (LRTNF) deployment decision of 1979. This study seeks to identify trends from this poll data indicating altering support for NATO membership and nuclear weapons; changing perceptions of superpower military capabilities; relations with other nations; threats to world peace, and levels of support for the peace movement.