HS-Gallup | NATO support rose to a record 73 percent

Support for NATO membership has risen eight percentage points in two weeks.

Finns NATO’s positivity has risen again than ever in Helsingin Sanomat’s measurement history.

According to the recent Gallup, 73 percent of respondents believe that Finland should join the military alliance as NATO. The figure is eight percentage points higher than in a similar survey at the end of April.

12% oppose accession and 15% disagree. The proportion of uncertainties has fallen sharply, with the last 22% still without opinion.

Support for joining NATO has risen 19 percentage points between weeks 12 and 19 this year.

The HS has been asking citizens for NATO positions for 20 years. The response rates of the different surveys are not fully comparable, as the survey method has been changed this year.

In the past, NATO polls were conducted through telephone interviews, but in February-March, an Internet panel was used as the method.

Done by phone interviews Gallup was last conducted in January. At the time, NATO support was 28 percent, a record number at the time.

NATO membership support varies across populations.

A typical supporter of joining NATO is an academically educated middle-aged or aging man who is a manager or senior official by profession. He earns over € 85,000 a year and is politically right. Of the parties, he supports the Coalition Party.

People under the age of 30 and women are the most critical of NATO. NATO-critical are basic workers or students. They earn less than € 20,000 a year and belong politically to the left.

It should be noted, however, that even in the more critical NATO groups, the majority and, in some cases, a very clear majority are in favor of NATO membership.

NATO support has increased over the last two weeks, especially among workers, those earning less than € 20,000 a year, those in basic education, the working class, students and those in favor of the Social Democrats and the Greens.

Of the six largest parties, those in favor of the Left Alliance have been the most critical of NATO. Among them, support for NATO has increased. About half of the Left Allies are now behind the accession and less than a third are opposed to joining.

A clear majority of supporters of the other five major parties support joining NATO.

This is how the study was done

Kantar TNS carried out a study commissioned by Helsingin Sanomat.
The research material has been compiled in the Gallup Forum internet panel from 9 to 10 May 2022.
The total number of respondents was 1,002.
The margin of error of the survey results at the level of the entire data is about 3.1 percentage points in its direction.
The group of participants in the study represents the population aged 18-79 in our country, excluding those living in the province of Åland.
The question was as follows: NATO currently has 30 member states and the EU 27 members. 21 EU countries are also members of NATO. In your opinion, should Finland join NATO or not?