Hostility toward sexual minorities is also becoming partly normalized in the view of the youth.

In Estonia, discussions about radicalization and political violence are usually framed through the lens of national security. At the same time, research shows that the most effective prevention work does not arise solely within security institutions, but within communities: In schools, youth centers, and in the family. It is especially important to involve young people themselves, the study found.

Oksana Belova-Dalton, a researcher in international relations at the University of Tartu, studied how Estonian youth aged 18–20 perceive the risk of political violence. Belova-Dalton interviewed 10 ethnic Estonian young people and 10 Russian-speaking Estonian citizens in the course of her study.

According to academic literature on the topic, adolescence involves a search for identity, uncertainty, and perceived injustice, all of which can be risk factors in radicalization. All of these elements were reflected in the responses of Estonian youth: National trauma, segregation, fears of cultural disappearance, economic insecurity, and a sense that some groups' voices do not matter.

At the same time, Estonia is in a geopolitically distinctive position, she found. Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine and the subsequent rise in hybrid influence operations have sharply brought the issue of political violence onto the agenda. In Russian strategy, hybrid warfare is aimed at dividing societies and sowing uncertainty.

The study showed that young people perceive this background too, and clearly so. In their view, Russia may be deliberately fanning the flames of tensions within Estonian society, particularly between Estonians and Russian-speaking residents, and between Russian speakers and Ukrainian war refugees. They highlighted how Estonian- and Russian-speaking youth tend to mistrust one another.

The interviews revealed that many Russian-speaking young people have been called derogatory names and heard comments such as "go back to Russia." Estonian-speaking youth also acknowledged that there is a great deal of hostility toward Russian-speaking residents on social media.

At the same time, Estonian-speaking youths feared that the Russian language and culture could threaten the survival of the Estonian language and culture. Russian-speaking youths, however, described feeling that they are seen as second-class Estonians, even if they speak Estonian, are Estonian citizens, and see themselves as Estonian.

Belova-Dalton said the issue is deeply rooted in Estonia and was mentioned by all interviewees. "Young people who have attended Estonian-language schools since first grade and were born here say they are still seen as immigrants and occupiers. This attitude toward Russians probably comes from many homes where historical trauma has been handed down," she noted.

Radicalization is a complex process, but according to Belova-Dalton, a risk factor may arise when a person wants to feel Estonian yet is constantly pushed away and told they are not a real Estonian.

According to Belova-Dalton, both state policy and external influence operations play a role in the friction between Estonians and Russians. Young people would like to see fewer political messages which can incite hatred and polarization. Both Estonian- and Russian-speaking youth also perceive Russian influence operations as a significant risk factor. There is concern that something similar to the 2007 Bronze Night riots could occur again.

Language too plays a central role in this issue in the view of young people: What enervates Estonian youth is not so much nationality itself, but the use of the Russian language. A kind of language hierarchy has emerged, in which Russian occupies the lowest rung.

Another frequently mentioned topic was racism. Both Estonian- and Russian-speaking youth said that jokes about Black people and people from the Middle East or from Africa are common in schools and on social media. According to these respondents, people often do not even realize where a joke crosses the line into hate. It is also worrying that hostile attitudes are sometimes expressed even by some teachers. Young people gave examples of situations where teachers associated certain nationalities with crime or threats.

Belova-Dalton said teachers need to be careful about how they express such ideas. "For example, according to the young people, teachers described people of another race as 'strange shepherds who can only do manual labor.' That is probably not a good way to educate about diversity," she said.

Young people also pointed out how contradictory the tales told by teachers can be. "One young person described how in one class the teacher talks about how wonderful it was to live in the Soviet Union because you could travel everywhere, but now life is so bad. Then in the next class another teacher talks about how powerful Estonians are and how even in the Soviet Union Estonians made important decisions and held leading positions, while Russians are all stupid and ready to do just about anything for a bottle of vodka. The young people said they simply wait for the teacher to finish their rant, so the lesson can continue," she said.

All the young people interviewed were united in considering the LGBTIQ+ community to be the most hated group. In their view, hostility toward sexual minorities is stronger than it is toward any other minority groups. This came as something of a surprise to Belova-Dalton.

Young people say that social media contains many comments that dehumanize LGBTIQ+ people or directly call for violence against them. Bullying and exclusion also occur in schools, they said. Some young people saw a real risk that Pride events or the expansion of rights for sexual minorities could trigger violence.
"There are many comments saying they have no right to live and that they are not human. That is dehumanization, and people are attacked precisely when they are no longer seen as human. It was also surprising that they were treated as if they were immigrants and told to move to another country if they don't like it here," she said.

The responses of the interviewees showed that behavioral patterns encountered online have taken root in real life as well. However, anonymity plays an important role online, as it allows people to express themselves much more radically and angrily.

Belova-Dalton also asked young people how hatred toward the LGBTIQ+ community could be headed off. They suggested, for example, that literature curricula could include more diverse works, where the main character has such a background or where such topics are addressed.

Hostility toward women was also a significant theme. In recent years, there has been much discussion about famous misogynistic influencers. The study confirms that their influence is felt in Estonia, too.

"All respondents commented that they are surprised by how widespread hatred toward women is. It is surprising because on the one hand there is a perception that women are respected in Estonia, but at the same time young boys in lower secondary school often display attitudes that dehumanize women," she said.
For example, female interviewees described how some male classmates say women are like gadflies that simply buzz around the place. Others rate girls on a ten-point scale according to their desire to sleep with them.

Previous studies have shown that a significant share of boys consider men to be better leaders than women. "What once seemed like self-evident equality is again becoming a political issue. I recently spoke at Kuristiku High School and asked the students what percentage of 15-year-old boys they thought answered in the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS 2022 (link in Estonian)) that women do not belong in politics. While the real answer is 24 percent, they guessed somewhere around the 80–90 percent range," said Belova-Dalton.

All interviewees stressed that raising awareness and developing critical thinking are key to preventing political violence. They said they would like to see more discussions in schools, more coverage of diversity in curricula, and better training for teachers.

Notably, young people believe they themselves are the first to notice signs of radicalization. If problems arise, they would prefer to first speak with their classmate themselves. At the same time, they feel they lack the knowledge to do so. Many supported the idea of creating an independent anti-extremism center, where people could turn for advice and support, preferring a specialist-led center over the police.

The study shows that Estonian youth perceive the risks of political violence on several fronts: Ethnic tensions, racism, hostility toward the LGBTIQ+ community, and misogyny. According to them, these attitudes are not limited to the margins of society but have become partly normalized.

On the brighter side, the study found that young people do notice these problems but also do want to solve them. "They want to overcome this hatred, they want a balanced media, and they want better and clearer messages from politicians. One young person even said that if we accept immigrants into the country, the political message should also be clear enough so that an EKRE supporter would not pick up a weapon," she noted.

Young people also want more knowledge about radicalization as a phenomenon — for example, what to do if they notice signs of it in their classmates. "One example mentioned was a classmate who went into the forest wearing a Soviet uniform and then took photos. What should be done in such a situation? The young people said they know their classmates and could intervene and offer help, but they don't know how. I am pleased that we have young people who are like this," she added.

Young people responding to the survey also noted that Estonian education focuses more on "Western" culture and history. More attention could be given to topics related to the "East," in order to understand what is happening on the other side of the world, they found. "This would help ensure that everything unfamiliar does not automatically produce stereotypes. Everyone acknowledged that ignorance creates hatred," Belova-Dalton said.

If policymakers and the education system manage to meaningfully involve young people, this could prove to be Estonia's best defense against radicalization and political violence. "I was pleasantly surprised by how willing young people were to engage and how deep and sensible their understanding of what is happening around them was," Belova-Dalton concluded.

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