Few Britons associate red poppies with being a political statement
Remembrance season is upon us, with ceremonies this Sunday and next Wednesday commemorating the deaths of British and Commonwealth service personnel in the two World Wars and later conflicts.
Many Britons choose to mark the season through the wearing of remembrance poppies, though some have accused the wearing of the traditional red poppy as having become politicised in recent years, with concerns it has been co-opted by far-right groups.
Few Britons, however, see someone wearing a red poppy as them making a political statement, with 86% viewing it as being an expression of remembering the war dead, 67% viewing it as support for the Royal British Legion, 63% as about showing respect for the armed forces, as well as 38% regarding it as an expression of patriotism.
14% of Britons do, though, see wearing a poppy as being an explicit statement of support for Britain having a strong military that we should be ready to use, with 5% associating it with right-wing views and 3% with anti-immigrant views.
In all, 18% of Britons associate wearing a red poppy with at least one of these outright political statements, including 26% of those who voted Reform UK or Green at the last election, and 22% of those who voted Tory.
What do Britons think of purple and white poppies?
Alongside the red poppy, the charity Animal Aid offers a purple poppy as a symbol of remembrance for animals that served during wartime, while the Peace Pledge Union offers a white poppy, which aims to commemorate all victims of war and promote peace.
Most Britons (54-57%) say they are unaware of these alternative poppies, though with 35-38% saying they were aware of them prior to taking our survey.
Although the RBL has said these are not in conflict with the red poppy, some have criticised particularly the white poppy, with former veterans’ minister Johnny Mercer calling them “attention seeking rubbish” in 2018. Nonetheless, just 15% of Britons believe it’s unacceptable to wear a white poppy during remembrance season, while only 9% feel it’s wrong to wear a purple poppy.
Opposition to the white poppy is highest among Reform UK and Conservative voters, with 27-34% believing it’s unacceptable to wear one, though relative to at least 42% believing it’s perfectly fine to mark remembrance season with a white poppy.
See the full results here
Methodology
- Sample size: An online survey of 8,024 adults aged 18+ living in Great Britain
- Fieldwork: 4 November 2026
- Commissioned by: YouGov
Click here for more information about how we carry out research
Interested in taking YouGov surveys? What do you think about poppies, Remembrance Day in general, and everything else? Have your say, join the YouGov panel, and get paid to share your thoughts. Sign up here.
Interested in commissioning YouGov research? We connect in real-time with real people around the world to gather their thoughts, behaviours, and opinions, to ensure that our research data is powered by reality. Explore our survey services here.
Photo: Getty
