4 in 5 British people believe torture is wrong in all circumstances: everything you need to know
A new YouGov survey commissioned by Freedom from Torture found 4 in 5 of British adults believe that torture is wrong in any circumstance. However, 1 in 5 people surveyed said there are some circumstances in which torture is acceptable.*
The findings send a clear message to the UK Government: the overwhelming majority of the British public oppose torture.
Read more about the methodology at the end of this page
Where do you sit on torture?
But what is the real impact of torture?
What is torture and is it legal?
Torture is when someone deliberately inflicts severe mental or physical pain on another person for a specific purpose, where the state is involved or is unable or unwilling to prevent it.
And it is prohibited under international law, meaning it is illegal.
Yet around the world, torture continues to be used by governments, security forces and armed groups against people because of their ethnicity, religion, political beliefs, activism, sexuality or identity.
Physical torture can take the form of physical assaults or beatings, or practices like waterboarding. Psychological or mental torture can include being exposed to loud noise, or solitary confinement, for long periods of time.
The Human Rights Act 1998, sets out the fundamental rights and freedoms to which everyone in the UK is entitled. The Human Rights Act incorporates the rights set out in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) into domestic British law. Article 3 outlines "No one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment".
How is the protection against torture under threat?
Around the world leadership against torture is weakening. It has never been more important that the UK Government make crystal clear that the torture ban is non-negotiable and that the UK must always be a place of safety for survivors.
The UK has developed a reputation as a global leader in the evolution of an absolute ban on torture over hundreds of years. But the fight against torture requires constant vigilance, unwavering political commitment and the courage to challenge rhetoric or policies that risk undermining it. If the UK Government, shows any willingness to weaken protections against torture it risks triggering a domino effect globally. This would be a betrayal of torture survivors around the world.
What are the impacts of torture?
Freedom from Torture works with survivors living with the long-term physical and psychological consequences of torture, including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, chronic pain and social isolation. In countries like the UK, of those arriving seeking asylum, an estimated one person in three has experienced torture in their home country, driving them to flee in search of sanctuary.
NOTES:
*Comparative polling conducted by YouGov on behalf of Freedom from Torture since 2019 indicates increasing support for the torture ban. The proportion of people saying torture is wrong under any circumstance has increased by 13% since 2019. Full trend data is available here.
The total sample size was 2,030 adults in Great Britain. Fieldwork was undertaken online between 11 and 12 January 2026. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults aged 18 and over.