An increasing number of residents in Estonia believe that life in the country will become less safe in ten years than it is now. These are the results of a public opinion poll commissioned by the Ministry of Defense.
According to a study conducted by Kantar Emor, pessimistic sentiments have been increasing for the fourth consecutive year. While in 2023, 28% of respondents considered the future to be less secure, this figure has now risen to 33%. For the first time, the number of people expecting a deterioration in the situation has exceeded the number of those who believe that the situation will remain the same.
The authors of the study note that ongoing wars and international crises may influence respondents' assessments. Additionally, for some respondents, maintaining the status quo may represent a rather negative outlook, given the current security situation.
The most likely threats to Estonia in the coming years, residents believe, are the spread of fake news and cyberattacks. Specifically, 86% of respondents identified the spread of misinformation as a very or fairly likely threat, while 84% cited cyberattacks. Two-thirds of respondents also consider foreign interference in Estonia's politics or economy and disruptions to vital infrastructure to be likely.
At the same time, respondents consider a full-scale military attack on Estonia to be less likely than a number of other security threats.
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