The Ministry of Culture and the Integration Foundation commissioned the Institute of Baltic Studies to conduct a study on the attitudes of residents with unspecified citizenship towards Estonian citizenship and what influences the application for citizenship.
According to Kristjan Kaldur, Programme Manager for migration and integration studies at the Institute of Baltic Studies, the interest shown by residents with unspecified citizenship in the study, which started last spring, is remarkable.
‘We have seen that 65% of residents with unspecified citizenship are ready to apply for Estonian citizenship. This desire is evenly high in all age groups surveyed. We also confirmed that there are groups of residents with unspecified citizenship with different attitudes, who face different obstacles or fears that may reduce their motivation to apply for citizenship. Some groups are motivated by a sense of home or belonging, while others are encouraged by better job opportunities. The practical solutions are also different for them,’ said Kristjan Kaldur.
According to Eda Silberg, Undersecretary for Cultural Diversity at the Ministry of Culture, the study confirmed that more attention needs to be paid in the future to fostering attitudes that support citizenship.
‘Acquiring citizenship is not the terminal station on the journey of integration, but it is an important milestone on it. Many people with unspecified citizenship feel that they are part of our society and also have a strong connection to Estonia, which is very important when it comes to integration. Acquiring citizenship is the next step – it creates a legal link between a person and a country, with rights and obligations for both parties. The recent survey highlights the attitudes and other reasons that prevent people with unspecified citizenship from taking the next step, and shows what support they need to acquire Estonian citizenship,’ said Eda Silberg.
According to the Head of the Integration Foundation, Dmitri Moskovtsev, the study provided opportunities to further develop the support offered to citizenship applicants.
‘We have nearly 60,000 residents with unspecified citizenship, a large number of whom wish to become Estonian citizens. It would be important to offer our future citizens all the support that they need on this journey and to help further strengthen their ties with Estonia. The results of the study provide valuable feedback – together with specialists in the field, we can continue to develop solutions to support the application for citizenship,’ said Dmitri Moskovtsev.
In order to find out the attitudes of residents with unspecified citizenship, the Institute of Baltic Studies conducted a broad-based questionnaire survey and focus group interviews. A total of 1,991 people took part in the survey and 28 residents participated in the seven focus groups. The study started in spring 2024 and data collection took place between October and December.
The report and summary of the study can be found below.
The results of the study confirm the following:
> Residents with unspecified citizenship have strong social and cultural ties with Estonia. More than 80% say they are at least ‘quite connected’ or ‘very connected’ to their area of residence, and around 90% feel this kind of a connection to Estonia. It is also noteworthy that 70% of respondents agree with the statement that they have not acquired the citizenship of another country because Estonia is their home country.
> A significant proportion of the residents with unspecified citizenship, 65%, are ready to apply for Estonian citizenship and expect to do so within the next year (15%) or within the next two to five years (28%). Around 79% of residents with unspecified citizenship would choose Estonian citizenship if they were free to do so.
> The main motivation for applying for citizenship is to feel secure in having all the rights to live in Estonia (52%). In addition, an increased sense of belonging in Estonia (38%) and a reduction in potential discrimination (34%) are seen as important motivators. Pragmatic reasons for being a citizen of Estonia are also cited, such as improved job opportunities (32%).
> The self-identification of Estonian residents of unspecified citizenship expresses a strong attachment to Estonia: more than 60% of respondents do not choose ‘Russian’ as their identity, but rather Russian-speaking Estonian (44%) or Estonian Russian (18%).
> The main obstacle to applying for citizenship is the required level of Estonian language skill (B1) (53%). In this group, 22% of people have active Estonian language skills, 68% have passive Estonian language skills, and 7% have no Estonian language skills at all. When it comes to obstacles, language-related issue is followed by an inadequate financial situation (17%), a lack of time (16%), and being too old (13%).
> The target group of residents with unspecified citizenship is diverse and heterogeneous. Their attitudes, motivations, and obstacles to obtaining Estonian citizenship are varied. Therefore, there is no single measure or activity that would help all of them to get closer to obtaining Estonian citizenship. There are a number of people who would benefit from positive encouragement from the state, but most also need practical support.
