Who is a ‘veteran’? Understanding definitions of the term among the British public: a research note.

Gribble, Rachael; Wessely, Simon; Klein, Susan; Alexander, David A.; Dandeker, Christopher; Fear, Nicola T.

Abstract

There are currently an estimated 2.8–3.8 million people in the UK who fulfil the UK Ministry of Defence definition of a military veteran (a minimum of one day’s military service). Despite these numbers, there is little research on who the public views as a veteran and how this differs across society. Rachael Gribble, Simon Wessely, Susan Klein, David A Alexander, Christopher Dandeker and Nicola T Fear examine public conceptualisations of the term ‘veteran’ compared with definitions from the Ministry of Defence and those of ex-service personnel themselves. Factors associated with commonly endorsed definitions are identified.

Citation

GRIBBLE, R., WESSELY, S., KLEIN, S., ALEXANDER, D.A., DANDEKER, C. and FEAR, N.T. 2019. Who is a ‘Veteran’? Understanding definitions of the term among the British public: a research note. RUSI journal [online], 164(7), pages 10-17. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1080/03071847.2019.1700683

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 28, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Dec 16, 2019
• Publication Date: Nov 10, 2019
• Deposit Date: Jan 21, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: May 11, 2021
• Journal: RUSI journal
• Print ISSN: 0307-1847
• Electronic ISSN: 1744-0378
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 164
• Issue: 7
• Pages: 10-17
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03071847.2019.1700683
• Keywords: Veterans; Civil military relations; Public opinion; United Kingdom
• Public URL: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/823115