Tekijät

• Finnish Business and Policy Forum (EVA)
• Yhdyskuntatutkimus

Asiasanat

European Union, European integration, NATO, defence and state security policy, foreign policy, foreign relations, globalization, international relations, national security

Sisällön kuvaus

The survey charted Finnish public opinion on the European Union membership, foreign policy, the relationship between Finland and Russia, and the potential NATO membership.

The respondents were first asked how interested they were in matters related to the Finnish EU membership, and how well they thought they were informed about these matters. The survey also carried a number of statements relating to the EU membership and international issues, such as the EU membership fee, abolishing compulsory military service in Finland, defence policy, the relationships between Finland and the other Nordic countries, globalisation, various countries applying for EU membership, and climate policy.

Finnish foreign policy was canvassed by presenting the respondents with a list of current international issues (e.g. the relationships with Russia and the Baltic States, Nordic defence cooperation, increasing development cooperation funds, mediating international crises, preventing climate change) and asking them to what extent Finnish foreign policy should concentrate on each topic. The respondents also graded the bodies responsible for foreign policy in Finland (the President, Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Defence, three last governments, etc.).

Some questions focused on the EU and its actions. The respondents' views were queried on changes in the EU's actions in view of Finland's influence, the strength of the Union as an economic actor in the world, and the openness/transparency of the Union. The respondents' opinions on the current questions connected to the relationship between Finland and Russia (e.g. Russian wood tariffs, other obstacles to trade, the St. Petersburg area's environmental load to the Baltic Sea) and the importance of solving them were charted. The potential effects of Finnish NATO membership on various issues, such as international influence, the share of defence expenditure in the budget, and the personal feeling of safety were also examined.

Finally, the respondents estimated the influence of globalisation on their work and gave their current opinion on the EU membership, the transition to the euro, and the EU enlargement in May 2004.

Background variables included the respondent's gender, age group, size of municipality of residence, region of residence (NUTS3), basic and vocational education, economic activity, industry of employment, occupation group, trade union membership, and which party R would vote for if the parliamentary elections were held at the time of the survey.