The survey was conducted in April 2022 in cooperation with the research agency Norstat Latvija. 1000 adult residents of Latvia participated.
41% of respondents indicated that the war in Ukraine has led them to assess their role in strengthening the protection of the country. Of these, 18% said they were considering the importance of every person's role in protecting the country, not just the armed forces. 23% indicated that although the war in Ukraine has generally led to an assessment of their role in the defense of the State, there are circumstances that prevent all of them from being involved.
27% of respondents found that their capacity and knowledge would not help protect the country.
According to 32% of those surveyed, the war in Ukraine has not led them to consider their role in strengthening the defense of the country – in their view it is only a professional army task, the Ministry informed.
Between February 24 and April 22, 2,516 applications have already been received for the National Guard, noted AM. A total of 8,200 citizens are currently serving in the National Guard, but it is necessary to increase the number to 10,000 national guards by 2024, said AM.
Statistics show that the war in Ukraine has impacted citizens' interest in joining the National Guard, and the number of applications for service is increasing rapidly. There are a strong number of applications in the age group up to 35. Similarly, although the largest number of applications is received proportionally from men, women are active in the National Guard.
