Do you feel you're part of the Estonian society? No less than 15 percent of respondents in the 2023 Integration Monitoring said that they did not.

Just 59 percent of Estonians and close to 30 percent of people from other nationalities said they feel fully included, while 11 percent of Estonians and 25 percent of non-ethnic Estonians said they do not feel like part of society.

"That every tenth Estonian can say they do not feel they're part of the Estonian society took me by surprise. That every fourth person who is not an ethnic Estonian says they don't is even positive in some ways, as we usually feel there are more dissatisfied people among other nationalities," Professor Emeritus Marju Lauristin, editor-in-chief of the integration study, told Sunday's "AK. Nadal".

Former MP Viktoria Ladõnskaja-Kubits also said it is surprising so many Estonians do not feel the connection.

Let us break down the 11 percent who do not feel included. It turns out that they are mostly men.

"It is a problem that men are more vulnerable in Estonia. Men outnumbered women four to one among those who said they do not feel they're members of society," Lauristin remarked.

While one might speculate that people feel alienated the older they get, this is not strictly true. Estonians who do not feel they're part of society are usually in their late middle age. Lauristin sees attitudes in society as part of the reason.

"When the public attitude is that, oh, they're 50, they're looking at retirement. Oh, our teachers are so old, they're 55. A person 50 to 55 years of age is still in their professional and creative prime, while society already looks at them like they're past their expiration date. That could lead people to feel they are no longer to be reckoned with in society," Lauristin suggested.

Ain, standing in line at the Tartu food bank, said that he feels ostracized in some ways.

"I'm not eligible for social benefits. I don't mean to disparage anyone, but look at the Ukrainians. Okay, I can understand [helping] the women and the children, I have nothing against them. But they qualify for benefits no questions asked, while I get nothing. That makes me a little sad," he said.

Studies show that feeling cornered in society has a strong connection to financial coping, while alienation also seems to draw strength from immigration.

"We see that it is the most divisive factor, not just in Estonia, but also in other European countries. That a lot of people feel it is not right to have so many immigrants. Estonia has become a destination country in the last five or six years. There have been quite a lot of immigrants even if we don't count Ukrainian refugees, and there are people who are not happy with this trend of increased immigration," said Tiit Tammaru, professor of population geography at the University of Tartu.

"Integration is always a two-way street, it can never be linear, which creates small problems for those who arrive and those who receive. We also know that if the number of arrivals keeps growing, it could lead to the polarization of the hosting society," he added.

Seventy-one-year-old Vladislav whose roots are in Ukraine but who lives in Tartu does not speak Estonian, while it does not make him feel sidelined.

"It used to be a case of 'take a hike, you're Russian.'" But it had to do with my youth, tensions between ethnic groups. They've calmed down by now. I communicate with both Estonians and Russians. We can find common ground and come to an agreement. I've lived here for close to 40 years now. I actively participate in everything except elections. I like it here, and I would not want to leave," Vladislav said.

Vladislav does not have Estonian citizenship but still feels he's completely integrated. At the same time, most people who said they do not feel like they're part of society had Estonian citizenship.

"What really is cause for concern is that if we compare citizens by nationality – ethnic Estonian citizens and Estonian citizens of other nationalities – obtaining citizenship does not seem to make one feel better about their social position. Having an Estonian citizen's passport should make one feel valuable, valued and recognized as a citizen. But how a member of society feels does not seem to depend on what papers one carries," Lauristin said.

Ladõnskaja-Kubits said the integration policy needs to change. "While we used to measure integration policy and positive change in numbers. /.../ We knew how to measure it. But once trust comes into play, it becomes very difficult to measure."

"All those wise minds in charge of integration – I believe we need to take a moment to sit down and think about how to move forward. Even if the old programs were successful, /.../ they were pretty much all aiming for language and citizenship as ways to manufacture loyalty. But this recent study tells us that some of those methods should be revisited," Ladõnskaja-Kubits added.

Preventing alienation has to start in school, both for Estonians and non-Estonian speakers, Lauristin said.

"The girls and boys divide is crucial. We can see boys dropping out more often. They are less adept at doing well at school, which is something our society prioritizes. I believe that positive self-image is tied to how a person copes, their performance and everything," the researcher noted.

Economic inequality should also be paid more attention.

"Suggesting that the economic crisis will become worse might cause some problems, but people's coping and reducing the perception of inequality is something that needs doing. Repressed anger might lead to problems at some point. We should try and minimize the number of people who feel left out," Tiit Tammaru said.

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