Finnish Opinions on Security Policy and National Defence 2009

This annual survey charted Finnish public opinion on foreign policy, defence policy, security, military alliances, and the situation in Afghanistan. The respondents were asked how well Finland had managed its foreign policy and defence policy, and should Finland take up arms to defend itself if it were attacked. Opinions were charted on defence forces funding and military objectives, whether Finland should stay neutral or join NATO, whether the conscription system should be maintained, and what factors were important for creating strong defence. The respondents were asked to what extent they feel concern about various issues, such as the situation in Afghanistan, Iraq or the Middle East, terrorism, environmental issues, use of nuclear power, nuclear weapons, climate change, economic situation in the world and in Finland, weapons of mass destruction etc. Further questions covered opinions on the impact of various factors on the security of Finland (e.g. the EU, UN, NATO, certain countries becoming members of the EU or NATO, Finland's participation in international crisis management or the European Rapid Reaction Force, Finland's neutrality, increase in foreign ownership in the country etc). Views were probed on how well the country had prepared itself against a number of threats (terrorism, international crime, attack against communication networks, energy availability etc), and what kind of threats the country should prepare itself for. One theme pertained to the Afghan conflict, what was it all about, how well the international community had supported the Afghan administration in reaching various goals (such as improving the situation of women, fight against terrorism, decreasing illegal drug production), and on what kind of operations should the Finnish troops concentrate in Afghanistan (e.g. should they help build democracy, educate local armed forces, educate the police). Background variables included the respondent's gender, age, occupational status and economic activity, marital status, occupation of the household head, household composition, age of children living at home, household income, television viewing per week, type of accommodation, municipality size and type, major region (NUTS2) and region (NUTS3)of residence, ownership of car, home, holiday home and consumer durables, Internet use, and political party choice if parliamentary elections were held at that time.