(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Adults in Mexico are divided on how their national military service should operate, according to a poll by Consulta Mitofsky. 41.2 per cent of respondents support the current provision that calls for a mandatory year of service for all men.

Conversely, 30.6 per cent of respondents believe women should also take part in the program, while 26.8 per cent would scrap the military service altogether.

Under the current guidelines, all Mexican males who reach 18 years of age must register for one year of military service. A lottery system is used to decide whether a male will be listed as a "reservist" or actually serve on Saturdays at a battalion.

Mexican voters chose their new president in July 2006. Official results placed Felipe Calderón of the National Action Party (PAN) as the winner with 36.68 per cent of all cast ballots. Calderón—a former energy secretary—took over as Mexico’s head of state in December.

In November 2007, the opposition Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) proposed including women in the mandatory military service, and reducing the age of registration from 18 to 16 years. PRD lawmaker José Alfonso Suárez del Real presented the proposal—ultimately rejected in the legislature—which read: "Women will be able to access military service from the age of 16. With previous authorization from their parents or representatives, they will be able to enlist and will have the same rights and obligations than the males."

Polling Data

In Mexico, a year of military service is mandatory for men. Which of these views do you agree with the most?

Source: Consulta Mitofsky
Methodology: Face-to-face interviews with 1,000 Mexican adults, conducted from Jul. 25 to Jul. 29, 2008. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.

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