How do Sociodemographic Characteristics Influence UK Civilian Opinions of UK Armed Forces Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans? A Mixed-Method Approach

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/0095327X211070321
• Published date: 01 April 2023
• Date: 01 April 2023
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/0095327X211070321

Armed Forces & Society

2023, Vol. 49(2) 419 –445

© The Author(s) 2022

Article reuse guidelines:

sagepub.com/journals-permissions

DOI: 10.1177/0095327X211070321

journals.sagepub.com/home/afs

Article

1134644AFSXXX10.1177/0095327X211070321Armed Forces & SocietyPhillips et al.

research-article2022

How do Sociodemographic

Characteristics Inf‌luence UK

Civilian Opinions of UK

Armed Forces Iraq and

Afghanistan Veterans? A

Mixed-Method Approach

Rita H. Phillips

1

, Vincent Connelly

2

and Mark Burgess

2

Abstract

Evidence suggests that UK veterans are seen as victims with concern for their per-

ceived mental health needs. This study examined sociodemographic factors that

contribute to victimizing conceptualizations of British Army Iraq and Afghanistan

veterans. UK participants (N= 234) provided three word associations to “British Army

Iraq Veteran”and “British Army Afghanistan Veteran”and answered sociodemo-

graphic questions. A multiple linear regression outlines that low national pride, mission

opposition and higher levels of education predict elevated victimizing word associ a-

tions. Narrative accounts from UK interviews (N= 21) suggest that participants who

perceived the recent conf‌licts as illegitimate conceptualize veterans as passive, na¨

ıve

actors who had to submit to the agency of the anthropomorphic described gov-

ernment. This allowed holding overtly appreciative though belittling attitudes toward

veterans, while opposing the missions. To dissociate veterans from victimizing per-

ceptions, better knowledge about service and justif‌ications for deployments need to be

provided. Study limitations, including over sampling of young adult females, are

discussed.

1

Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, UK

2

Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK

Corresponding Author:

Rita H. Phillips, Robert Gordon University, Garthdee Campus, Aberdeen AB10 7QB, UK.

Email: r.phillips5@rgu.ac.uk

,

420 Armed Forces & Society 49(2)

Keywords

civil–military relations, military culture, psychology, veterans

An important aspect of UK Armed Forces leavers post-service life is the smooth

reintegration into civilian life. However, many members of the public in the UK, when

polled, respond that they are concerned that serving members of the UK Armed Forces

become damaged from their experience in the armed forces and that mental health

problems are typical of the majority of veterans (Latter et al., 2018). Polls also report

that the public believe a majority of veterans experience symptoms of PTSD caused by

service-related trauma, as well as a perception that many are economically inactive and

homeless (i.e., Ashcroft, 2012;Ashcroft & KCMG, 2017;British Social Attitudes

(BSA), 2012;Latter et al., 2018). The public, when asked, consider that potential

employers of veterans may be unsure of a veterans’mental state and ability to cope

outside service life (Latter et al., 2018).

While there has been debate over whether the British veteran population is either

more or less likely than members of the civilian population to suffer from mental health

issues (Hoge & Castro, 2006;Hunt et al., 2014;Rhead et al., 2020), physical health

problems, suicide, suicidal thoughts or self harm (Bergman et al., 2021;Holmes et al.,

2013;Jones et al., 2019;Kapur et al., 2009;MOD, 2021), unemployment (MOD Career

Transition Report, 2018;MOD, 2020a), or homelessness (Fleuty et al., 2021;Jones

et al., 2014;Quilgars et al., 2018;University of York, 2008;Wilding, 2020), even the

most concerning of available statistics do not involve the majority of service leavers

having these diff‌iculties. While solutions need to be found for veterans who do ex-

perience diff‌iculties and it is important to help every single veteran who experiences

health or social issues, the predominance of the British public’s beliefs linking the

majority of veterans to compromised states of health and social problems is concerning.

Specif‌ically, societal preconceptions regarding veterans may lead to economical dis-

advantages and implicit stereotyping and therefore be harmful to veterans. A recent

study in the US demonstrated that stereotypical information about veterans was used by

hiring managers to the potential detriment of veterans (Stone et al., 2018) and labeling

of veterans with PTSD led to negative perceptions from members of the public (Hipes

& Gemoets, 2019). However, to date, there is a surprising lack of wider research

exploring which factors may contribute to victimizing perceptions of veterans in the

UK, especially of the more recent and publicly controversial operations in Iraq and

Afghanistan.

Instead, research has mainly focused on understanding how sociodemographic

factors may inf‌luence appreciative perceptions of the UK Armed Forces and its

personnel. Studies suggest that most people in the UK hold the Armed Forces and its

members in high regard (Hines et al., 2015;Latter et al., 2018) and that these supportive

attitudes were also outlined to remain relatively stable over time (Krueger & Pedraza,

2012). While rates of support are high, the studies do also suggest social ties to service

2Armed Forces & Society 0(0)