High-level results of 2025 YouGov survey on perceptions of veteran support in the UK
Published 23 July 2025
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/yougov-survey-on-veteran-support-high-level-results/high-level-results-of-2025-yougov-survey-on-perceptions-of-veteran-support-in-the-uk
Perceptions of support
Question: Thinking about the government’s support for veterans, do you think the UK government is currently doing too much, too little or the right amount to support veterans?
| Response | Percentage of respondents |
|---|---|
| Doing too much | 1% |
| Doing about right | 14% |
| Not doing enough | 78% |
| Don’t know | 8% |
Question: Do you personally know where to go to access support as a veteran?
| Response | Percentage of respondents |
|---|---|
| Yes | 43% |
| No | 57% |
Question: Are you aware of any veteran support services in your local area?
| Response | Percentage of respondents |
|---|---|
| Yes | 31% |
| No | 69% |
Question: Which, if any, of the following types of veteran specific support have you heard of? Please select all that apply.
| Type of support | Percentage of respondents |
|---|---|
| Healthcare (e.g. NHS Veterans’ Services) | 29% |
| Housing support | 22% |
| Employment and reskilling programmes | 33% |
| Mental health and well-being services | 40% |
| Benefits, pensions, and financial support | 32% |
| Legal or advocacy services | 14% |
| Social and community support | 16% |
| Other | 2% |
| None of these | 23% |
| Don’t know/can’t remember | 10% |
Experience with support
Question: Did you manage to get the support you needed?
| Response | Percentage of respondents |
|---|---|
| Yes | 63% |
| No | 37% |
Question: Which, if any, of the following were barriers you experienced when trying to access veteran specific support? / You said you have not tried to access veteran specific support in the past five years. Which, if any, of the following were barriers to accessing this? Please select up to three.
| Barrier | Percentage of respondents |
|---|---|
| Lack of awareness of available services | 24% |
| Difficulty navigating multiple providers | 7% |
| Delays in getting assistance | 5% |
| Stigma or feeling uncomfortable around seeking support | 8% |
| Eligibility criteria too restrictive | 6% |
| Eligibility criteria was unclear | 9% |
| Location or transport issues | 4% |
| Technical ability (i.e. being able to use online services) | 3% |
| Internet availability | 1% |
| Lack of access to technology (e.g. access to a computer) | 1% |
| Other barriers | 6% |
| Don’t know/ can’t recall | 7% |
| Not applicable - There were no barriers to accessing services | 55% |
| Net: Any | 38% |
Question: Thinking overall, on a scale of 1-5, how easy or difficult was it to access the veteran specific support services mentioned?
| Scale | Percentage of respondents |
|---|---|
| 1 - Easy | 0% |
| 2 | 23% |
| 3 | 31% |
| 4 | 16% |
| 5 - Difficult | 29% |
| Don’t know | 2% |
| Net: Easy | 23% |
| Net: Difficult | 44% |
Preferences for support
Question: When thinking about accessing veteran specific support, which of the following would be most important for you? Please select up to three.
| Support factor | Percentage of respondents |
|---|---|
| Accessibility (disability and adjustments) | 6% |
| Available when you need it | 31% |
| Convenient location | 16% |
| Online format | 6% |
| In-person format | 13% |
| Short/no waiting times | 18% |
| Staff with military experience | 24% |
| Staff with local knowledge | 7% |
| Staff with expert knowledge on the service they provide | 32% |
| Smooth integration with existing services | 9% |
| Personalised support based on individual needs | 26% |
| Privacy and confidentiality | 16% |
| Simplicity and ease of use | 22% |
| Other | 1% |
| Don’t know | 2% |
| Not applicable - I do not need/want to access veteran specific support | 18% |
| Unweighted N | 550 |
Question: In general, how long is the maximum length of time you would be willing to travel to access veteran support services in-person?
| Travel time | Percentage of respondents |
|---|---|
| 15 minutes or less | 3% |
| 30 minutes | 25% |
| 1 hour | 42% |
| 2 hours | 7% |
| 3 hours | 1% |
| More than 3 hours | 2% |
| Don’t know | 12% |
| Not applicable - Would not be willing to travel to access in-person services | 7% |
Question: If you needed to access veteran support services, which of the following types of service would be your preference?
| Type of service | Percentage of respondents |
|---|---|
| A coordinated service across government and charities | 38% |
| A charity led service | 7% |
| A government led service | 7% |
| A mix of charity-led and government-led services | 35% |
| Don’t know | 13% |
Information about support
Question: Please imagine you wanted to find information about veteran support services. In which, if any, of the following ways would you go about looking for this? Please select all that apply.
| Method | Percentage of respondents |
|---|---|
| Word of mouth (friends, other veterans) | 26% |
| Charities and veteran organisations | 54% |
| Government websites | 42% |
| Social media | 18% |
| Online searches | 69% |
| Other | 3% |
| Don’t know | 6% |
Question: If you needed to contact veteran support services, what would be your preferred way to do so? Please select all that apply.
| Preferred method | Percentage of respondents |
|---|---|
| Online portal (form, webchat etc.) | 45% |
| Mobile app | 16% |
| Telephone helpline | 44% |
| In-person at local service hubs | 50% |
| Other | 1% |
| Don’t know | 6% |