Diasporas during conflict: A mixed-method analysis of attitudes of the Russian-speaking community in Finland towards the Russia-Ukraine war

Abstract

This mixed-method study of 1,374 Russian-speaking immigrants living in Finland investigated how different characteristics of their socio-political integration are reflected in their attitudes towards supporting Ukraine during the war. The results of survey responses showed that trust in Finnish media and engagement with Finnish societal issues predicted stronger ‘pro-Ukraine’ attitudes (i.e., support for Finland's aid for Ukraine and condemning of Russia's invasion), while experiences of increased hate speech or discrimination of Russian speakers in Finland were related to weaker ‘pro-Ukraine’ attitudes. Next, person-centred analysis identified three socio-political integration clusters. High Integration cluster respondents highly supported Ukraine as compared to Critical and Low Integration clusters. Critical Integration respondents were somewhat more integrated than Low Integration respondents, except they felt that discrimination towards Russian speakers had increased due to the war. Analyses of open-ended responses confirmed that Critical Integration respondents were most likely concerned with discrimination. Low integration respondents had ambivalent attitudes in that many were opposed to the war but felt that Western countries were also responsible. Our findings highlight the role of socio-political integration – and especially perceived discrimination – in shaping immigrants' political views during political turmoil. Receiving societies should promote non-discrimination and inclusiveness to mitigate intergroup conflicts in societies with significant diasporic communities. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement.