Almost 60 percent of Finns see Russia as a military threat.
Finns are becoming more and more critical of Russia, according to a survey of values and attitudes by the Business Delegation (Eva). According to the survey, just over a third of Finns, 34 per cent, have a positive attitude towards Russia and 45 per cent a negative attitude.
In 2012, 63 per cent of Finns had a positive attitude towards Russia and 19 per cent a negative attitude. Favorable attitudes have fallen by about 30 percentage points in nine years, while negative attitudes have increased by 26 percentage points.
Eva’s research manager Ilkka Haaviston according to the attitude development is in line with what is observed in other western countries. According to him, Finns follow Russian events and the country’s activities in the world relatively closely and react especially to negative phenomena.
“The biggest changes in recent years have been observed in periods preceded by, for example, Russian hostilities in Ukraine and Syria and an opposition politician Alexei Navalny attempted murder, ”Haavisto says in a press release.
According to the survey, almost 60 percent of Finns see Russia as a military threat.
Haaviston According to him, it is too early to say whether the attitude of Finns is becoming more permanently repulsive. Haavisto mentions that attitudes have fluctuated more positively for the last time in 2018. He doubts that the issue was affected by the World Cup in Russia at that time and the summit of the US and Russian presidents in Helsinki.
“However, a more critical attitude of young people towards Russia speaks in favor of a more permanent change in attitude,” says Haavisto.
The negative attitude is more pronounced in the younger age groups: the younger the respondent, the more negative the attitude towards Russia. The most positive age group in Russia is said to be 65 years old.
With regard to trade relations, Eva’s survey revealed that 43 per cent of Finns believe that these relations with the eastern neighbor should not be weakened due to non-economic problems. 32% of respondents disagreed.
The study is based on responses from more than 2,000 people in March-April. The respondents represent the entire population aged 18-79. The margin of error for the results is 2-3 percentage points in both directions.
Eva’s value and attitude studies have been conducted since 1984.
.
#Russia #Evas #survey #Finns #critical #Russia #attitude #emphasized #younger #generation
