Almost half of residents believe that security situation in Latvia has improved

RIGA - 45 percent of Latvia's residents believe that security situation has improved in Latvia as compared with 2016, according to a public opinion survey carried out by the Defense Ministry.

The presence of NATO troops, military exercises, and equipment and weapons being bought for the National Armed Forces are mentioned as the main reasons for the improving security situation.

In the meantime, 29 percent of respondents said that the security situation in Latvia remained unchanged since 2016, while 7 percent believe that the security situation has worsened - which is 2 percent less than in 2016.

59 percent of respondents also said that the presence of NATO forces in Latvia contributes to Latvia's security.

When asked to comment on the pending deployment of Canada-led multinational NATO battalion to Latvia this year, 43 percent of respondents said they approved of it, 17 percent had a critical opinion, while 30 percent had a neutral opinion.

67 percent of respondents noted the continued development of that the Armed Forces - a 5 percent increase on 2016.

73 percent of respondents said they were proud of Latvian soldiers, up from 67 percent in 2016.

In addition, 62 percent agreed with the proposition that every resident of Latvia should learn the basic military skills. Among young people, the proportion is 65 percent.

Furthermore, 45 percent of respondents agree that the National Armed Forces should purchase what armament is affordable, even if such armament is not new or most modern, to improve the Armed Forces' combat readiness.

The survey was carried last November by the SKDS research center, interviewing 1,019 residents of Latvia aged 17 to 74 at their homes.