Tekijät

• Advisory Board for Defence Information (ABDI)

Asiasanat

European integration, armed forces, conflict, conflict resolution, conscription, defence, defence and state security policy, foreign policy, foreign relations, international alliances, international conflict resolution, military expenditure, military operations, national security, public expenditure, refugees

Sisällön kuvaus

The annual survey charted Finnish public opinion on foreign policy, defence policy, security, military alliances, military service, and international armed conflicts at the time of the survey. Some questions charted asylum policy and views on factors affecting safety and security.

Opinions were charted on the success of foreign policy in the previous few years, funds allocated to the Defence Forces, whether Finland should resort to armed defence in case of any sort of attack, and how the global security situation would develop in the next five years. The respondents' readiness to participate in defending Finland in case of attack were queried. Views were probed on the current, conscription-based defence system and whether women should also participate in conscription. The respondents were asked whether Finland should form military alliances and whether Finland should apply for NATO membership. Concern caused by certain phenomena and issues was charted, such as the economic situation in Europe, global warming, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, international terrorism, cybercrime, increase in the number of asylum-seekers, situation in Ukraine, and religious extremist groups.

Some questions pertained to issues affecting the safety and security of Finland. These included, among others, Finland's EU membership, potential NATO membership, participation in the EU defence and in international crisis management, and military non-alignment. Satisfaction with defence policy in the previous few years was investigated. Views were charted on Finnish military cooperation in the EU, with NATO and with other Nordic countries.

Opinions were probed on the possibility of a military threat against Finland in the following 10 years as well as Finland's chances to defend itself against an enemy in conventional warfare. The respondents were asked what their idea of the military tasks of the Finnish Defence Forces were (e.g. defending the territorial integrity of Finland, participating in the defence of the EU). Views were studied on Finland's preparedness for the prevention of various security threats, such as armed threat, infectious diseases and epidemics, environmental hazards, uncontrolled immigration, political pressure from other states, economic crisis, terrorism, and attacks against information systems and networks. The respondents were asked how Russia's actions affected/would affect Finland's security. Finally, opinions were charted on the increasing numbers of asylum-seekers in Finland and other European countries, the need for joint immigration and asylum policy in the EU, and how well Finland and the EU had prepared for the increasing number of asylum-seekers.

Background variables included, among others, the respondent's gender, age, economic activity and occupational status, marital status, occupation of the household head, household composition, ages of children living at home, gross annual income of the household, newspaper reading habits, level of education, consumer durables in the household, type of accommodation, region of residence, number of inhabitants in the municipality of residence, Internet use, and political party choice in the previous parliamentary elections.