The Value of Security and National Defense

To assess preferences for measures that strengthen security and defense as a public good, discrete choice experiments are a promising approach. For Germany, such a survey-based experiment reveals a strong preference for the installation of a European air defense system, but also for an increase in the troop size of the German military by 25% as well as the creation of a European army. For these changes, there is an aggregate willingness to pay of approximately 11.5 billion euros. Approval and willingness to pay vary by party preference. However, the reintroduction of compulsory military service is overwhelmingly rejected.