The survey, which was conducted by Turu-uuringute AS from 16-21 February and involved 1506 respondents aged 15+ from all over Estonia, showed that there has been a slight decrease in the proportion of the population facing difficulties in coping financially: 24% in February, compared to 27% in December and 30% in September. The most marked improvement was among Estonians, of whom 19% experienced difficulties coping financially in February, compared to 23% and 27% in December and September, respectively. There was a smaller degree of change in the ability of people of other nationalities to cope financially, with 34% struggling in February as in December, and compared to 38% in September. However, there has also been a marked decrease in their financial uncertainty regarding the future: 55% in February (down from 61% in December and 71% in September), compared to 36% among Estonians (down from 49% in December and 55% in September) and 42% overall (down from 52% in December and 60% in September).
At the same time, people’s sense of security has fallen somewhat: 47% feel that Estonia can consider itself safe at present (compared to 55% in December), with 46% of Estonians and 50% of other nationalities feeling this way. 63% of the population feel safe living in the country, compared to 71% in December: 65% of Estonians and 58% of other nationalities. “The dip in people’s sense of security in February is probably partly due to the messages that emerged during the parliamentary election campaign, which no doubt unnerved some people, and trust in the Riigikogu being eroded, but also partly due to expectations of a major Russian offensive in Ukraine,” said survey coordinator Vaike Vainu from Turu-uuringute AS.
Whereas trust in the government remained at the ordinary level in February (53%, compared to 52% in December; 60%=>62% among Estonians and 35%=>34% among other nationalities), trust in the Riigikogu fell significantly (from 49% => 41%; 55%=>46% among Estonians and 37%=>31% among other nationalities).
Support for Ukraine among people in Estonia remains high, although support for the intake of Ukrainian refugees has fallen to its lowest level in the last 12 months: 67% (compared to 74% in December; from 82%=>76% among Estonians and from 56%=>48% among other nationalities). Allied military assistance for Ukraine is supported by 66% of the population (85% of Estonians, compared to 27% of other nationalities), while 80% support the provision of humanitarian assistance (88% of Estonians, compared to 64% of other nationalities). Moreover, 69% feel that Estonia should support Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction (80% of Estonians, compared to 47% of other nationalities) and 61% support sanctions against Russia even if they lead to marked rises in the cost of food and energy in Estonia (79% of Estonians, compared to 25% of other nationalities).
Some changes were also noted in people’s consumption of media: for the first time, the most important information channel for people of other nationalities is social media (44%), with Estonian news portals in Estonian and Russian in second place (42%), conversations with friends and relatives in third place (29%) and Estonian television channels and programmes in Russian in fourth place (26%). Russian television channels are considered important by 11% of other nationalities in Estonia, and news portals operating in Russia by 10%. There have been no significant changes in these last two figures since autumn.
In terms of the trustworthiness of sources of information, people of other nationalities place their friends, relatives and acquaintances first (54%), the Estonian and Russian channels run by the Estonian national broadcaster ERR second (41%) and private media operating in Estonia third (38%). Social media is in fourth place (31%) and independent and state-controlled Russian media channels are in the end of the list (both 17%).
The most important source of information for Estonians remains Estonian television channels (68%, with ERR being named the most trustworthy at 85%), while Estonian news portals (60%) and radio (36%) rank second and third. The source ranked second most trustworthy by Estonians was friends, relatives and acquaintances (75%) and the third was local private media (70%).
On the subject of Russia’s aggression, 67% of the population trust the information provided by Estonian channels (82% of Estonians, compared to 36% of other nationalities), 48% trust Western channels (59% of Estonians, compared to 25% of other nationalities), 34% trust Ukrainian channels (42% of Estonians, compared to 16% of other nationalities) and 7% trust Russian channels (2% of Estonians, compared to 18% of other nationalities, which is the lowest such figure in the last 12 months).
Support for Estonia’s membership of NATO has not changed significantly in recent months (78% overall: 91% among Estonians and 48% among other nationalities), but support has been growing over the last 12 months, most notably among people of other nationalities (48% in February 2023, compared to 26% in February 2022).
The monitoring survey conducted in February was the first to gauge the population’s attitude towards the introduction of nuclear energy to Estonia. The idea is supported by 75% of the country’s residents (87% of men and 65% of women), while 17% are principally opposed to it (9% of men and 24% of women). The main arguments for the development of nuclear energy are Estonia’s security and cheaper electricity (important issues for 47% and 46% of respondents, respectively). The cleanliness of Estonia’s natural environment and the achievement of climate goals are important issues for 24% and 22% of people, respectively.
The results of the survey can be studied in more detail on the Government Office website at www.riigikantselei.ee/uuringud.
Fore more information please contact:
Marianna Makarova
Adviser, Strategic Communication Department
