Study title

The annual survey by the Advisory Board for Defence Information (ABDI) charted Finnish public opinion on foreign policy, defence policy, national security, military alliances, military service, and safety. 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 whether Finland and Finns would live in a more secure or less secure world 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. 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. Views were also charted on Finnish military cooperation in the EU, with NATO, other Nordic countries, and the United States. Next, satisfaction with defence policy in the previous few years was investigated. The respondents were asked to evaluate what effect a variety of governmental bodies, such as Russia, China, the US, UN, and the EU, had on Finland's security, and what the respondents estimated the military situation in Finland's nearby areas to be like in the next ten years. Concern caused by certain phenomena and issues was charted, such as global warming, security situation in the Baltic Sea, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, international terrorism, the world's refugee situation, cybercrime, false news targeted at Finland, political extremism, racism, the current situation in the Middle East, and recent developments in the European Union, Russia and the United States. Finally, the respondents were asked about their trust in the future of...