Finns’ opinions on foreign and security policy, national defence and security

Abstract

The Advisory Board for Defence Information (ABDI) is a permanent parliamentary committee that functions administratively under the Ministry of Defence and is appointed by the Government for the duration of the Parliament’s term of office. In addition to its parliamentary members, the advisory board includes representatives from the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Education and Culture, Defence Command Finland, the Finnish Broadcasting Company, the Finnish News Agency (STT), the Union of Journalists in Finland, the Finnish Media Federation, National Defence University and the Tampere Peace Research Institute (TAPRI). ABDI investigates the opinions and attitudes of Finns towards security policy and the factors that influence them. Each year, it conducts at least one extensive survey that covers the entire adult population of Finland. The questions concern foreign and security policy issues and national defence. Some of the questions have been included in all surveys since the 1960s. The surveys by ABDI are in the public domain and accessible to all.