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In recent years, Western countries have sought to increase defence spending in response to shifting geopolitical threats. However, it remains unclear whether these priorities align with the preferences of citizens. As governments face tight budgets and need to balance collective security with social security, public opinion may be divided on how to navigate this trade-off between welfare and defence spending.

Building on previous research on defence spending, political preferences, and the role of trade-offs in shaping political priorities, the thesis investigates a gap in our knowledge of how citizens prioritise between competing policy areas under conditions of budgetary constraints. Its primary objective is to investigate which factors affect preferences towards increasing defence spending at the individual level. To measure these preferences, I utilise the budgeting module from the POLEVPOP Citizen survey 2025, which includes a trade-off element expressed through a constrained budgetary questionnaire, where respondents are obliged to prioritise how to allocate resources across seven policy areas.

To explain variation in preferences at the individual level, I draw on theories of gendered and political socialisation processes and self-interest to hypothesise who supports an increase in defence spending under budgetary constraints. Further, I present a typology that explores how contextual factors influence individual-level factors through mandatory military service and threat perception. Using descriptive statistics and linear regression, the thesis provides evidence that, even under constraints, citizens on average support increasing defence spending. Further, I find evidence that support for increasing defence spending varies by gender, and in some contexts, by age.