Six out of ten Lithuanians would support universal conscription, according to a survey commissioned by LRT.
In the poll conducted by Baltijos Tyrimai, 58 percent of the respondents said they were in favour of universal conscription.
Nearly half, 49 percent, would support universal conscription for young men only, while 9 percent would support universal conscription for both genders.
Over one-third of the respondents, or 34 percent, said they did not support universal conscription in Lithuania, while 8 percent had no opinion on the matter.
The survey of 1,021 Lithuanian residents aged over 18 was conducted on May 16-28.
At the moment, Lithuania calls up around 3,000 young men for military service each year. Women can serve as volunteers.
Debates on introducing universal conscription – that is, drafting everyone in a certain age group – were happening when Lithuania’s parliamentary parties were negotiating a “national agreement” on defence to ensure policy continuity. Despite initial suggestions, universal conscription did not make it to the final document.
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