The study took place this year, from March 13 to 15, and was carried out by LLC “Kantar”. 1,000 respondents aged between 18 and 75 took part in the survey. The study cost the State Chancellery EUR 3,110 without value-added tax.
When asked to express their opinion on the celebration of various days, most (80.5%) agree that the Day of the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia on May 4 and the Day of the Convocation of the Constitutional Assembly on May 1 should be especially celebrated in Latvia (56.2%).
Support for celebrating Europe Day on May 9 and the Day of the Defeat of Nazism on May 8 in Latvia has increased significantly. Support for the celebration of Europe Day increased by 5.3 percentage points over the year, from 48.5% to 53.8%, while support for the celebration of the Day of the Defeat of Nazism on May 8 increased by 8.5 percentage points, from 42.6% to 51.1%.
People think that Latvia should especially celebrate the 20th anniversary of Latvia's accession to the European Union on May 1 (43.8%). A great proportion still think the so-called "Victory over Nazi Germany Day" on May 9 (41.3%) should be marked. Fewer think the 20th anniversary of Latvia's accession to NATO on March 29 (37.4%), and the 75th anniversary of NATO's creation on April 4 (27.0%) should be celebrated.
The authors of the study have pointed out that there are significant differences in people's opinions on the celebration of different days, depending on the spoken language in the family. People whose family speaks Latvian are relatively more likely than people who speak Russian in the family to think that the Day of the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia on May 4, the Day of the Convocation of the Constitutional Assembly of the Republic of Latvia on May 1, the 20th anniversary of Latvia's accession to the European Union on May 1, the 20th anniversary of Latvia's accession to NATO on March 29, and the 75th anniversary of the establishment of NATO on April 4 should be especially celebrated.
However, people with Russian speakers in the family are more likely to agree that the Day of the Defeat of Nazism on May 8 and the so-called "Victory over Nazi Germany Day" on May 9 should be specially celebrated. As in the Spring 2023 survey, the biggest difference of opinion is in the celebration of the so-called "Day of Victory over the Nazi Regime in Germany on May 9": 22% of the Latvian-speaking population and 73% of the Russian-speaking population thought that this day should be specially commemorated.
