Poll: Nearly 60% of respondents in Germany support the reinstatement of mandatory military service.

A latest opinion poll published by the German media on the 16th showed that nearly six out of ten Germans support mandatory military service for men born in 2008 and later. The survey was commissioned by the German newspaper "Bild am Sonntag" and conducted by the Social Research Institute from the 13th to the 14th. Among the 1003 respondents, 58% believed that mandatory military service was the right approach, 29% opposed it, and 13% did not give a direct answer. On the 13th of this month, the ruling coalition led by German Chancellor Merkel reached an agreement on a new model for the country's volunteer military service, proposing a mixed military service model in which volunteer military service takes priority and mandatory military service is only activated when there is a shortage of military personnel. The survey showed that 57% of respondents believed that the German Federal Armed Forces could not recruit enough volunteers to meet the military needs, while only 25% believed that volunteer recruitment could successfully achieve its goals and 18% did not respond. In addition, the willingness of the public to serve in the military remains low, with only 31% of respondents willing to enlist while 55% explicitly refuse. Germany suspended mandatory military service in 2011. According to reports from Reuters and other media outlets, the new version of the voluntary military service law is expected to come into effect in early 2026. According to the latest agreed provisions of the law, in case of deteriorating national security situation or insufficient voluntary enlistments to meet military needs, compulsory conscription can be initiated through a parliamentary vote; gradually expanding the survey on the willingness of men born in 2008 and later to serve and arranging them to undergo military examinations.