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Public Perceptions of Gambling in the UK Armed Forces: Understanding Stigma Via a Vignette Experiment
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Jessica Smith,
Simon Dymond
Journal of Gambling Studies
Swansea University Authors:
Jamie Torrance , Jessica Smith, Simon Dymond
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© The Author(s) 2025. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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DOI (Published version): 10.1007/s10899-025-10463-2
Abstract
Gambling-related harm among armed forces (AF) personnel is a growing concern, yet public perceptions remain underexplored. Anticipated public stigma (the fear of how others perceive you) of gambling among the AF is a potential barrier to help-seeking. Understanding how the public perceives gambling...
| Published in: | Journal of Gambling Studies |
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| ISSN: | 1573-3602 |
| Published: |
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
2025
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| Online Access: |
Check full text
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71030 |
| Abstract: |
Gambling-related harm among armed forces (AF) personnel is a growing concern, yet public perceptions remain underexplored. Anticipated public stigma (the fear of how others perceive you) of gambling among the AF is a potential barrier to help-seeking. Understanding how the public perceives gambling in the AF is essential for shaping stigma-reduction strategies. A randomised, online 2 × 2 between-subjects experiment was conducted. A representative sample of the United Kingdom public (N = 396) was recruited through Prolific and randomly assigned to view a vignette featuring either an AF member or non-AF civilian who was described as engaging in either harmful or non-harmful gambling. Following exposure to their assigned vignette, participants completed measures assessing stigma and empathy towards the depicted individual. Participants perceived individuals from the AF as significantly more dangerous (p = .002) compared to non-AF civilians. When the vignette depicted gambling-related harm, as opposed to recreational gambling, participants reported significantly higher stigma across seven of the ten stigma measures (all p < .001). This study highlights how public stigma towards gambling harm is strong and can be shaped by military status, with AF personnel facing increased perceptions of dangerousness. Findings underscore the need for public stigma-reduction strategies that address both gambling-related and military-specific misconceptions. |
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| Keywords: |
Gambling; Harm; Military; Armed forces; Stigma; Public perceptions |
| College: |
Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences |
| Funders: |
The project funding is supported by an award from the Centre for Military Gambling Research, which is funded by the Gambling Commission (Regulatory settlements applied for socially responsible purposes). |