The results of the annual public opinion survey commissioned by the Estonian Ministry of Defence show that 76% of people in Estonia support raising or maintaining level of defence spending.
“According to the National Security Concept of Estonia, it has been agreed that the Estonian defence spending will be at least three percent of the gross domestic product. That percentage enjoys a high level of support among Estonian residents – 43% support raising defence spending, while a third supports keeping the current level,” said the ministry’s Permanent Secretary Kusti Salm.
82% of Estonian residents support Estonia’s membership in NATO (80% in 2022), while 80% support the presence of NATO allied forces in Estonia (76% in 2022). The role of NATO in Estonian security is consistently considered important – 77% of the respondents think either that NATO membership rules out military conflict (29%) or that in case of conflict NATO will provide direct military assistance (48%).
The number of people who support armed resistance in the event of aggression by another state has grown in the year following the Russian attack on Ukraine.
“The people of Estonia want to live in a free Estonia and are ready to stand up for their country. This knowledge creates a feeling of safety for all of us. The willingness to defend the country remains high among our people, which clearly shows that Estonia is unbreakable,” said Salm.
According to the public opinion survey on national defence, 83% of people in Estonia support armed resistance in the event of aggression by another state, and nearly 2/3 of the population is ready to participate in defence in the event of an attack. Support for conscription remains high, with nearly 90% of respondents saying that it is necessary. For the first time, support for mandatory national defence education (46% of respondents) exceeds that for voluntary national defence education (41%).
Conducted this spring among 1200 respondents, the survey “Public Opinion on National Defence” results show that over the last year, support among the Russian-speaking population in Estonia to armed resistance against an attack on Estonia has also grown (61%→71%), as has readiness to participate in defence (44%→48%) and support for conscription among young men (67%→74%).
Of activities related to the activities of the Defence Forces, Estonian people are most positively minded towards calling reservists to training exercises (80%), followed by Allied air force exercises and fly-overs (75%), the movement of military equipment in public spaces (73%) and wearing military uniforms in public or at public events (71%). 73% of respondents support the participation of their partners or close ones at training exercises.
As the survey reveals, 69% of the respondents are satisfied with the development of national defence.
Among the greatest threats to Estonian security, respondents pointed out spreading fake news (84%), cyber-attacks against national systems, institutions, businesses or citizens (83%), and malign foreign interference in Estonian politics or economy (61%).
The 2022 Public Opinion Survey, commissioned by the Ministry of Defence, took place between March and early April. The sample consisted of 1200 residents of Estonia aged 15–74, and online and telephone surveys were combined as the survey method.
The Ministry of Defence has commissioned regular public opinion surveys since 2000.
The current survey (in Estonian, the English version will be published in the coming weeks): Avalik arvamus riigikaitsest | Kaitseministeerium
Previous surveys (in English): National Defence and Society | Kaitseministeerium
Additional information : [email protected]