Opinions of soldiers on homeland missions (2015)_
| % “rather or strongly agree” | |
|---|---|
| I feel motivated to carry out this type of mission because it is to defend my country | 98 |
| Being deployed in Belgium motivates me professionally | 94 |
| Being deployed in Belgium is a personally rewarding experience | 94 |
| I consider myself more useful in this type of mission than when I am deployed abroad | 52 |
Environmental and institutional components of organizational mimicry_ (adapted from Campbell and Campbell 2010: 8)
| Macro-changes: environmental components | Contemporary period |
|---|---|
| Political attitudes | Fighting terrorism; nation building |
| Economic pressures | Global drug crime; geopolitical fragmentation |
| Social/demographics | Global terrorism; ethnic conflicts |
| Legal considerations | Joint cooperation; joint mission |
| Assessment | Strong pressure police/military duties convergence |
| Meso-changes: institutional Components | |
| Mimetic components | Common goals; unclear paths |
| Normative components | Shared members; shared procedures; shared resources |
| Coercive components | Demands for action; legal mandates; contractor efforts |
| Assessment | Strong influence for convergence |
| Micro-changes: individual components | |
| Individual attitudes | Norms and values (individualist, looking for meaningful work and self-consideration, mobile) |
| Assessment | Resistance against role convergence |
Major fears (2017)_
| % of “rather agree” | % of “without any opinion” | % of “rather disagree” | |
|---|---|---|---|
| International terrorism | 61 | 23 | 16 |
| Organized crime | 38 | 31 | 31 |
| Ethnic conflicts in Europe | 36 | 31 | 33 |
| Accident on a nuclear site | 34 | 29 | 36 |
| Worldwide war | 34 | 27 | 39 |
| Dispersion of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons | 33 | 30 | 38 |
| The (accidental) launch of a nuclear missile | 27 | 22 | 51 |
| Epidemics | 25 | 30 | 45 |
| Nuclear conflict in Europe | 24 | 22 | 54 |
| Conventional war in Europe | 22 | 25 | 53 |
Roles of the Belgian Defense (2015)_
| % of “yes” | |
|---|---|
| Defending the Belgian territory | 98 |
| Contributing to stability, peace and security | 98 |
| Participating in military operations in Europe | 97 |
| Providing help in case of disasters in the country | 96 |
| Defending the territory of the member states of NATO and the EU | 95 |
| Contributing to the fight against international terrorism | 95 |
| Contributing to the peace process, if necessary through the use of force | 89 |
| Military action outside Europe WITH UN agreement | 88 |
| Providing free services to the Belgian population | 88 |
| Guaranteeing/symbolizing national unity | 86 |
| Offering help in case of disasters abroad | 80 |
| Monitoring public places in Belgium | 77 |
| Contributing to the fight against radicalism in Belgium | 66 |
| Helping to counter cyberattacks | 65 |
| Contributing to the fight against illegal immigration | 56 |
| Serving the foreign policy of Belgium | 53 |
| Helping young people to integrate into society | 54 |
| Contributing to the fight against drug trafficking | 52 |
| Military action outside Europe WITHOUT UN agreement | 39 |
List of the surveys_
| Survey | Commissioned by | Date | Sample size | Method | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgian public opinion surveys | |||||
| Dedicated | La Libre/RTBF | December 2015 | 2811 | Online | Yes |
| Eurobarometer 86 | European Commission | November 2016 | 1022 | CAPI | Yes |
| Eurobarometer 87 | European Commission | May 2017 | 1025 | CAPI | Yes |
| Eurobarometer 89 | European Commission | March 2018 | 1028 | CAPI | Yes |
| IPSOS | Le Soir/RTL | September 2016 | 2881 | Online | Yes |
| Ivox/Royal Military Academy | Belgian Defence | December 2013 | 1000 | Online | Yes |
| Listen | Belgian Defence | May 2017 | 1000 | Online | Yes |
| Surveys among the personnel of the Belgian Defence | |||||
| Royal Military Academy | Belgian Defence | December 2013 | 1397 | Online | Yes (Mil & Civ) |
| Royal Military Academy | Belgian Defence | March 2015 | 1397 | Online | Yes (Mil & Civ) |
| Royal Military Academy | Royal Military Academy | Nov/Dec 2015 | 313 | Online | No (Army only) |
Support to the missions executed by the Belgian Defence (2017)_
| % of “fully or rather support” | % of “do not know” | |
|---|---|---|
| Military support to the police in the streets | 78 | 9 |
| F-16 missions abroad | 66 | 17 |
| Training and education to foreign military personnel | 67 | 19 |
| Military support to the police for securing nuclear sites | 64 | 20 |
| Military support to prison guards on strike | 62 | 15 |
| Anti-piracy | 60 | 23 |
| Military support to foreign governments for reforming their security sector (including the military) | 58 | 22 |
Opinions of soldiers on their relations with the police (2015)_
| % “rather or strongly agree” | |
|---|---|
| I support the monitoring mission in support of the federal police | 93 |
| When the armed forces are conducting missions on the national territory this should be in support of the police | 68 |
| Collaborating with the police should more frequent, especially in case of demonstrations | 79 |
| The police and the armed forces should unite and create a joint anti-terrorism brigade specialized in this type of mission | 68 |
| Working with the police is a positive experience | 87 |
| Working with police officers is necessary, we are in an environment they know better | 71 |
| In the future, I would like to work again with the police whether for training or exercises | 75 |
| Working with the police motivates me to leave the Belgian Defence to work for the police | 24 |
| I feel respected by my colleagues in the police | 88 |
| I trust the policemen/women who work with me as much as my military colleagues | 32 |
| The police is as professional as my unit | 34 |
| We are better prepared than the police for this type of mission | 74 |
| Collaborating with the police is difficult because of the different ways of carrying out the work | 36 |
| The information we receive is the same as that received by the police | 33 |