According to an online survey by Norstat Finland, the majority of Finnish youth believe the country's security will deteriorate within the next five years. Nearly half of 18-30-year-olds are concerned about Finland's current security situation, with concern particularly high among women, those in poor financial situations, and young people with low trust in others. Despite these anxieties, nearly 80% of young people report being ready to defend Finland in case of an armed attack, either armed or unarmed.
The geopolitical environment has been fundamentally reshaped by Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which shattered assumptions that authoritarian powers like Russia could integrate into the West, that large-scale interstate wars were relics of the past, and that European peace was ironclad. Europe now faces a landscape increasingly shaped by competition, coercion, and conflict, with Russia as a determined adversary trying to weaken NATO and European solidarity. Russia employs gray zone tactics to probe European defense vulnerabilities, including drone launches into Poland, airspace violations in Estonia, unexplained drone sightings, and sabotage of critical infrastructure.
S. reliability has become a point of concern under the Trump administration. S.
President Donald Trump has signaled a positive view of Russian President Vladimir Putin's leadership and questioned the value of defending Europe. S. S.
security policy. Additionally, Trump has threatened to take control of Greenland, signaling that Washington is prepared to treat allied sovereignty as negotiable. S.
I would encourage Russia to do 'whatever the hell they want' to NATO allies failing to meet defense spending targets.
commitment to European defense has declined significantly. Only 39% of Finns believe the United States would be ready to defend Finland or other European allies in the event of a war, in line with NATO commitments. Assessments of the United States' positive impact on Finland's security have been declining for two years, with only 30% now viewing it as positive, down from slightly more than half two years ago.
In response to these uncertainties, Finnish support for NATO membership is overwhelming. 85% of Finns view NATO membership positively, and NATO is the clear number one international organization in terms of having a positive impact on Finland's security. Support for NATO membership is strong across all political parties in Finland, with over 70% support even among the Left Alliance, the most NATO-critical party.
Two-thirds of Finns believe Finland must be prepared to defend another NATO country if it comes under attack. Finnish confidence in national defense capabilities remains high. About four-fifths of Finns believe Finland must defend itself with armed force in the event of an attack and are willing to participate personally in national defense, though men's readiness is about 20 percentage points higher than women's.
85% of Finns trust the Defense Forces' ability to protect Finland against military threats, and four-fifths consider the nation's preparedness for disruptions and crises fairly good or very good. Finland has integrated well into NATO, shifting from an 'independent and strong defence' mindset to a 'strong defence as part of the Alliance'. Finland's membership doubled NATO's land border with Russia, which will have consequences for NATO's capacity to act and Finland's role in the Alliance.
NATO is increasing its focus on the Arctic, with Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stating that NATO must increase its presence in the Arctic due to Russia's military buildup and China's ambitions in the region. NATO's 2022 Strategic Concept mentions the High North as a 'strategic challenge' regarding Russia's ability to disrupt allied troop enhancements and freedom of navigation, indicating increased significance for NATO. Sweden and Finland's NATO memberships strengthen NATO's geopolitical position in the High North, posing both challenges and opportunities for Sweden within the Alliance.
NATO must increase its presence in the Arctic due to Russia's military buildup and China's ambitions in the region.
Finns support a strong NATO, consider Finland's active role important, and are willing to invest in meeting NATO obligations. Support for allowing transportation of nuclear weapons through Finland increased from 27% to 38% in five months, and willingness to deploy nuclear weapons on Finnish territory increased from 14% to one-fifth, indicating dynamically evolving public opinion. Young Finns face demographic concerns linked to security, with one in three young people in Finland having postponed or given up the idea of having children due to concerns about the global security situation.
Youth patriotism and values are evident, with 58% of young people considering themselves patriotic in terms of national defense. Three-quarters of young people report opposing war and violence based on their values. A generational divide exists on conscription equality and defense spending.
Over half of young people think the current conscription system, which applies only to men, is contrary to equality. Men are more critical of the current conscription system than women. Young people are critical of increasing defense spending at the expense of other public services, with 59% opposing such increases, though one-third of young people are willing to spend more on defense even if it means cuts to other services.
This contrasts with broader public opinion, as three-quarters of Finns support the current system of universal conscription (mandatory for men, voluntary for women), with equally strong support among men and women. Divisive themes in Finnish security policy debates include the demilitarization of Åland, anti-personnel mines, permitting transportation of nuclear weapons, and gender-neutral conscription, with a plurality of opinions rather than polarization. The study on youth opinions was conducted with a survey of 2,000 18-30-year-old young people by E2 research for the Finnish Defense Forces.
Survey responses were collected in late November 2025. Young people get information about national defense from social media, TV news, online press, and printed press.