The Views of Latvian-Speaking and Russian-Speaking Residents of Latvia Are Closer Than Generally Believed

In a survey conducted from April to July, 268 Latvian-speaking and 330 Russian-speaking respondents participated. Data was collected both online and through personal interactions in the regions of Latvia. Researchers aimed to find out not only the actual views of representatives from the two language groups but also how accurately they perceive each other's opinions. It turned out that both sides tend to attribute more radical beliefs to each other than those that people actually hold. For specific questions, the assumed differences between the groups were found to be three times greater than the actual ones. For example, Latvian-speaking survey participants had a more positive attitude towards Ukrainian refugees on average than Russian-speaking respondents. However, each group's perceptions of the other's position significantly diverged from the actual responses. At the same time, it was found that representatives of both language communities are quite open to friendship and cooperation. In particular, participants from both groups viewed the possibility of their children befriending children from the other language environment positively. According to the researchers, the hindrance to rapprochement may not be so much a real unwillingness to communicate as a mistaken confidence that the other side is not interested in contact. However, significant political disagreements do exist. They concern attitudes towards NATO, support for Ukraine, and the transition of national minority schools to instruction in the Latvian language. The authors of the study suggest developing media literacy and political awareness so that people can better recognize propaganda and manipulation. They also call for discussing issues related to NATO, Ukraine, and school reform substantively, rather than turning them into a loyalty test for one or another language community. At the same time, the researchers acknowledge the limitations of their work: participants were not selected randomly, and the sample does not adequately cover small towns and rural areas. Therefore, the results cannot be considered a representative picture of the opinions of the entire population of Latvia. Nevertheless, they show that mutual stereotypes can exaggerate the existing divide in society.