Discussion
The rapidly growing literature on strategic narratives bridges the fields of international relations and communication as it analyzes the rhetoric and intentions of different actors as they seek to frame their positions on the past, present, and future. The existing research has provided some answers to why some narratives may be more likely to succeed (to be internalized by the intended audiences); however, less is known about how internalization of certain narratives is related to foreign policy views on the societal level.
This study will utilize data from a representative survey fielded in all 32 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries to assess both: (1) who are the individuals who are more likely to internalize Russian framing of the war in Ukraine, and (2) how internalization of Russian narratives affect the respondents’ views on the Russian war in Ukraine and other matters related to national defense. This paper will predominantly focus on the responses from the three Baltic States but will also compare those responses with data from other NATO countries. How will ethnicity play a role in this?
Data for this project will come from a representative online survey fielded in all 32 NATO countries during September-October 2025. This survey was carried out by a reputable survey research firm Norstat and funded via a joint European Union Recover and Resilience Facility and the Republic of Latvia, Project No. 5.2.1.1.i.0/2/24/I/CFLA/005. In addition to socio-demographic information about the respondents, the survey also fields a number of questions about the respondents' willingness to fight for their country, their trust in institutions and views on who caused the war in Ukraine. We will utilize correlation and regression analysis to assess the relationship between internalization of certain narratives (e.g., the perception that the West is to blame for the war in Ukraine, the Russian strategic narrative) and our respondents’ willingness to fight for their country.
