Authors

• Advisory Board for Defence Information (ABDI)

Keywords

conflict resolution, crisis management, defence and state security policy, foreign policy, international conflict resolution, military alliances, military service, national security, peace-keeping forces

Abstract

The survey studied Finnish public opinion on foreign policy, security and military alliances. Respondents assessed how well Finland has managed its foreign policy and relations with a number of other countries. One theme pertained to military alliance: should Finland join an alliance, alliance preferred, should Finland join the Nato if the Baltic countries also join. Attitudes towards armed defence of the country and opinions on increasing the military tasks of the EU were charted. Opinions on defence expenditure, the conscript army versus the professional army and Finland's participation in peace-keeping operations led by the UN, Nato or EU were surveyed. Respondents evaluated whether the world will become more insecure in the next few years and to what extent a number of factors will affect Finland's security (e.g. EU enlargement, situation in Russia or Iraq, use of nuclear power in Russia, state of the environment, Finland's EU membership, international terrorism, US war against terrorism, Nato enlargement to the Baltic countries).

Background variables included, among others, the respondent's sex, age group, main economic activity, employment, marital status, education, type of accommodation, type of neighbourhood, region of residence, household type and composition, household income, party preference, party choice in the 1999 parliamentary elections, ownership of mobile phone, Internet use, location and frequency of Internet use.