Fewer Latvian-speakers see threats to their language in Latvia

RIGA - The number of Latvian-speakers seeing threats to the Latvian language in Latvia has been declining lately, a survey by SKDS research agency shows.

In the February survey, respondents were asked if the Latvian language is endangered in Latvia.

Of the Latvian-speaking respondents, 38 percent feel that the Latvian language is more or less endangered, which is the lowest figure recorded since 2012. Seven percent of respondents in the poll feel that the Latvian language is seriously endangered and 31 percent tend to believe it is endangered.

Compared to las year, the share of respondents considering the Latvian language to be endangered in Latvia has decreased by 10 percentage points.

Meanwhile, 60 of the Latvian-speaking respondents do not feel that their language is endangered in Latvia, with 42 percent tending to believe that there are no threats to their language and 18 percent seeing no threats at all.

Among Russian-speaking respondents, 15 percent consider the Latvian language generally endangered, with 1 percent considering it seriously endangered and 14 percent tending to see it as endangered. The number of Russian-speaking respondents seeing threats to the Latvian language has risen by three percentage points over the past year.

Meanwhile, 83 percent of the polled Russian-speakers feel that the Latvian language is generally safe, with 37 percent tending to believe that the language is not endangered and 46 percent seeing to threats at all.