Threats to the premises of religious communities : Results of the survey

On 20 July 2020, the Ministry of the Interior set up a working group tasked with identifying security threats to the premises of religious communities and with drawing up proposals for improving their safety and security. One of the tasks of the working group was to map of the perceptions of religious communities of the current state of security and to identify possible threats.

This was done by carrying out an online survey targeted at representatives of all religious communities operating in Finland. No comprehensive information is available on religious communities in Finland, nor their contact details, which is why the survey was disseminated through the networks of the members of the working group. A total of 309 responses to the survey were received. The results of the survey were analysed by Jana Turk, doctoral student at the University of Helsinki. The working group acted as the steering group for the analysis of the results. The analysis is statistically representative for the Christian and Islamic communities, but not for the Jewish community, as the response rate of this community was low.