About this Research
Understanding the needs of the Armed Forces community (AFC) underpins RBL’s ability to design and deliver effective services, influence government policy, and advocate for meaningful change to better meet need.
In 2024, we commissioned YouGov to survey more than 3000 members of the AFC across the UK. This was one of the largest studies of its kind, representative of groups in the AFC wherever possible to capture their views on issues they face personally, and on issues affecting the AFC as a whole. The survey was followed by focus groups and interviews to explore responses and themes in more detail.
This work has been vital in informing RBL’s 10 year Strategy, and providing evidence for the wider Armed Forces sector to inform planning and priorities.
For the purposes of this content "Personal challenges" refers to issues faced by an individual and/or an immediate family member.
YouGov Research Overview
Read the insights brief
Personal Challenges and Perceived Community Issues
These findings are being used by RBL to inform service design, policy influencing, and engagement with the community. We hope the insights also support planning across the Armed Forces sector and wider public services, ensuring the needs of the whole AFC are understood and met in the years ahead.
The most common issues personally faced by people in the AFC or their immediate family members were:
- Physical health issues (17%)
- Mental health issues (13%)
- Their role not being valued by society (11%)
- Lack of access to health services (10%)
But not everyone was facing difficulties: more than half (55%) of respondents said that they and their immediate family were not facing any issues.
As well as asking about personal challenges, we also asked respondents what issues they felt the wider AFC was experiencing. The most common issues that respondents felt the community as a whole were facing were:
- Mental health issues (40%)
- Their role not being valued by society (35%)
- Finding suitable housing (31%)
- Homelessness (30%)
On every issue we asked about, a higher proportion of people in the AFC said they thought the AFC as a whole was facing that issue, than reported experiencing the issue personally. While this is understandable because we are asking about the whole AFC population in one question, and individual experience in another, we believe this demonstrates a gap between perceived and personally experienced need that is important to note in policy and services.
Challenges facing specific groups
The issues that respondents reported facing differed across groups within the AFC. Among veterans, family members of veterans, and bereaved family members, the most common issues were physical and mental health concerns.
In comparison, among Serving personnel and family members of Serving personnel, the most common issues faced were poor quality/maintenance of their home, and the feeling that their role was not valued by society.
Support gaps and unmet needs
13% of the respondents said that their support needs were not being met by any organisation – this rises to 24% among those currently Serving.
The key unmet needs reported relate to employment support, housing, mental health, and family isolation.
It is vital that services and support are available to meet needs across the AFC, and that people know about what help is available and how to access it.
"The mental health side is something that there needs a bit more of a focus on, and not just because you mostly think of PTSD from war fighting... its often normal life events, and how its handled."
(Currently Serving)
Using These Insights
While many members of the AFC do not report any issues, it is clear that others face challenges – and support and services for those who do are vital. RBL will use these findings to inform how we design and deliver our services, our policy asks, campaigning and influencing, and how we engage with the community.
These findings are underpinned by detailed survey results that can be broken down by different parts of the AFC, Service branches, regions, and demographics. If you would like to access further information to inform service planning or policy, please contact [email protected].
If you or someone you know would benefit from guidance, advice or support, please get in touch with the RBL Advice and Information Service. You can call 0808 802 8080, from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week. Calls are free from UK landlines and main mobile networks. You can also use our online chat service, available daily from 8am to 8pm, or email us at [email protected].
We’re here to ensure that no one in the Armed Forces community faces life’s challenges alone.