Most 'opposed' to family in Army

A total of 76 British troops have died in Afghanistan since 2001

More than two-thirds of people would not want their loved ones to join the Army, a poll has suggested.

Only 28% of those surveyed for BBC Two's Newsnight said they would be happy for their son or daughter to enlist, while 68% would be unhappy.

Of 1,001 people questioned, 58% thought injured British soldiers received poor care after returning to the UK.

And 18% thought Britain was winning the war in Afghanistan, while 43% said victory there was impossible.

Gen Sir Jack Deverell, who served in the Army from 1966 to 2004, told Newsnight he believed the unwillingness of families to see their sons and daughters enlist was not new.

"I guess the figure might well have been about same in 1972 in Northern Ireland when we had 106 soldiers killed in a year," he said.

Minister of State for Defence Equipment and Support, Lord Drayson, said the government acknowledged there was huge pressure on Britain's armed forces.

"We recognise that going at this level is not sustainable long into the future," he said.

More respect

The poll was carried out as part of a special Newsnight report on the state of the Army.

It found that a third of people thought the Army's reputation around the world was worse than a decade ago.

A fifth believed it had improved and 38% thought it was about the same.

There's a sense amongst soldiers, some certainly, that maybe they are not as valued for what they do as they should be General Sir Mike Jackson

Former chief of the general staff, Gen Sir Mike Jackson, told Newsnight there was much greater respect for soldiers in America.

"In the States, a couple of soldiers get off an aircraft at an airport in uniform and people all stand up and applaud them. It doesn't happen in this country," he said.

"There's a sense amongst soldiers, some certainly, that maybe they are not as valued for what they do as they should be."

Sir Mike also said he believed the war against the Taleban was winnable.

"We must see it through and pledges have been given to Afghanistan. It is strategically of vital importance," he said.

"I don't see this to be an operation of choice, I believe it to be one of necessity."

Earlier this week, another Newsnight survey suggested more than two-thirds of people thought the war in Iraq was already lost.

Both polls were carried out between 31 August and 2 September by polling agency ORB.