Study title

Finnish Opinions on Security Policy and National Defence 2021

Dataset ID Number

FSD3606

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3606
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3606

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Advisory Board for Defence Information (ABDI)

Abstract

The annual Finnish Opinions on Security Policy National Defence 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 examined 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, whether the respondents would be prepared to participate in national defence according to their abilities, and how the global security situation would develop in the next five years. 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.

Next, the respondents were asked how different issues affected 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, other Nordic countries, and the United States. The respondents were asked to evaluate the impact of several countries and organisations, such as Russia, China, US, UN, NATO and EU, on Finland's security. Views on how the military situation in nearby regions would develop during the next decade were also examined.

Concerns caused by certain phenomena and issues were charted, such as withdrawals from arms controls agreements, climate change, various infectious diseases and epidemics, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, organised crime, international terrorism, fake news, cyberthreats, political extremism, racism, employment, and current developments in the EU, Belarus, Russia, US, Middle East and Ukraine. The respondents were asked to evaluate Finland's preparedness for the prevention of various security threats, such as armed attack, energy supply issues, infectious diseases and epidemics, environmental hazards, political pressure from other states, economic crisis, terrorism, and attacks against information systems and networks.

The respondents were asked whether their trust in the future of the European Union had weakened, strengthened or stayed the same. Views on co-operation between EU and NATO to increase security in Europe, and Finland's success in controlling the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic were also investigated. The respondents were asked whether they trusted the ability of the Finnish Defence Forces to defend Finland against military threats, and whether they were worried about the security threats and exploitation opportunities provided by digitalisation and technological advances.

Background variables included, among others, the respondent's gender, age, economic activity and occupational status, economic activity and occupational status of the household head, household composition, ages of children living at home (categorised), gross annual income of the household, level of education, type of accommodation, region of residence, number of inhabitants in the municipality of residence, political party choice in the previous parliamentary elections, and political party choice if the parliamentary elections were held at the time of the survey.

Keywords

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

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Conflict, security and peace (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• International politics and organisations (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Political behaviour and attitudes (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

Finnish Opinions on Security Policy and National Defence

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

The dataset is (B) available for research, teaching and study.

Data Collector

• Taloustutkimus

Time Period Covered

2021

Collection Dates

2021-09-15 – 2021-10-05

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

People aged 15-79 residing in mainland Finland (excluding the Åland Islands)

Time Method

Longitudinal: Trend/Repeated cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Non-probability: Quota

Respondents were drawn using quota sampling with quotas based on age, gender, region and type of municipality. Face-to-face interviews were conducted in 174 municipalities, of which 62 were cities and 112 were other municipalities. The sample was weighted to represent the target population.

Because of the coronavirus epidemic, the study was conducted as a combination of face-to-face interviews and an online survey distributed to the Taloustutkimus internet panel. In total, 508 face-to-face interviews were conducted, of which 328 were held in larger halls rather than the respondents' homes. 494 responses were received for the online survey distributed to the internet panel.

The face-to-face interviews were conducted between 15 September and 4 October 2021. The 21 interviewers had been trained by Taloustutkimus in conducting interview research. The online survey was open to members of the internet panel between 21 September and 5 October 2021.

Collection Mode

Face-to-face interview: Computer-assisted (CAPI/CAMI)

Self-administered questionnaire: Web-based (CAWI)

Research Instrument

Structured questionnaire

Data File Language

Downloaded data package may contain different language versions of the same files.

The data files of this dataset are available in the following languages: English and Finnish.

FSD translates quantitative data into English on request, free of charge. More information on ordering data translation.

Number of Cases and Variables

96 variables and 1001 cases.

Data Version

1.0

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

To prevent identification of respondents, the variable denoting municipality of residence was removed from the data and the variables denoting the number of children living in the household and household size (bv11, bv13) were top-coded. Additionally, the variables denoting the children's ages (0-17) were categorised at FSD into two new variables: children aged 0-6 (bv10a) and 7-17 (bv10b).

Weighting

The data contain a weight variable (paino), matching the sample to the distributions of the of the 15-79 year-old population (in thousands) (SVT 31.12.2020).

Citation Requirement

The data and its creators shall be cited in all publications and presentations for which the data have been used. The bibliographic citation may be in the form suggested by the archive or in the form required by the publication.

Bibliographical Citation

Advisory Board for Defence Information (ABDI): Finnish Opinions on Security Policy and National Defence 2021 [dataset]. Version 1.0 (2022-02-07). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3606

Deposit Requirement

Notify FSD of all publications where you have used the data by sending the citation information to user-services.fsd@tuni.fi.

Disclaimer

The original data creators and the archive bear no responsibility for any results or interpretations arising from the reuse of the data.

Related Materials

Suomalaisten mielipiteitä ulko- ja turvallisuuspolitiikasta, maanpuolustuksesta ja turvallisuudesta (2021). Helsinki: Maanpuolustustiedotuksen suunnittelukunta MTS. Tiedotteita ja katsauksia 2021:1.

Related Publications

Suomalaisten mielipiteitä ulko- ja turvallisuuspolitiikasta, maanpuolustuksesta ja turvallisuudesta (2021). Helsinki: Maanpuolustustiedotuksen suunnittelukunta MTS. Tiedotteita ja katsauksia 2021:1.

Finns' opinions on foreign and security policy, national defence and security (2021). Helsinki: Advisory Board for Defence Information. Bulletins and reports, 2021:3. December 2021.

Finländarnas åsikter om utrikes- och säkerhetspolitiken, försvaret och säkerheten (2021). Helsingfors: Planeringskomissionen för Försvarsinformation PFI. Pressmeddelanden och översikter, 2021:2.

Pihlajamäki, Roosa (2023). Katsaus suomalaisten näkemykseen Suomen turvallisuuspolitiikasta sekä maanpuolustuksesta vuosina 2021 ja 2022. Matematiikan kandidaatin tutkielma. Oulu: Oulun yliopisto.

Weckman, Albert (2023) Public opinion and NATO: How different security environments influence the support for NATO in Finland. Nordic Review of International Studies 1, 4-24.