Authors

• Finnish Business and Policy Forum (EVA)

Keywords

COVID-19, European integration, artificial intelligence, bacterial and virus diseases, consumer behaviour, defence, defence and state security policy, energy consumption, foreign policy, international relations, national security, well-being (health), workers' rights

Abstract

The study charted Finnish people's values and attitudes. The themes of the Spring 2022 survey included national security and preparedness, international relations, Finland's application to join NATO, Finland's relationship with Russia, consumer behaviour, workers' rights, the impact of robotics and artificial intelligence on work and employment, and well-being.

First, the respondents were presented with a variety of attitudinal statements concerning, among other topics, Finland's international relations, foreign policy, military alliances, labour relations, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The respondents were also asked how concerned they were about certain security threats (e.g. a military attack on Finland, a global economic crisis, efforts to destabilise Finnish society by hybrid influencing, violence by political extremist groups).

Various questions examined the possibility of Finland joining the military alliance NATO, security, preparedness for emergency situations, and Finland's relationship with Russia. The respondents were asked when Finland should make the decision whether or not to join NATO, and the respondents' views on the impact that NATO membership would have on several issues in Finland (e.g. Finland's international influence, Finland's relationship with Russia, national self-determination) were charted. Opinions on the need to hold a referendum on Finland's membership of NATO were surveyed. The respondents were also asked to assess the current image of Russia in Finland and the threats posed by Vladimir Putin's current actions. Additionally, the respondents assessed their personal readiness to take various actions (e.g. defend Finland with arms, reduce their household energy consumption, give up foreign travel) in the event of a military threat on Finland. The actions (e.g. participate in protests to lower fuel prices, use public transport more, vote for politicians and parties that promise to lower fuel prices) the respondents would be ready to take in response to a rise in consumer prices were also examined.

Next, the respondents' attitudes towards the reformation of labour legislation were surveyed with questions on various measures that would limit workers' right to strike. The respondents were asked about their views on the impact of robots and AI on employment in Finland (e.g. whether they had ever performed a job that had since been transferred to a robot or AI, whether their job included collaboration with robots or AI). The anticipated impact of robots and AI on the respondents' work in the future was also investigated with a series of statements (e.g. it will make my work much easier and more efficient, I can focus solely on essential tasks because routine parts of my work will be automated, it will make my work compulsively fast-paced). Additionally, the respondents were asked about their attitudes towards Finland's EU membership and the euro as Finland's currency.

Everyday well-being and happiness were also surveyed. The respondents were asked how happy they were with their lives at present, how satisfied they were with their life, and whether they felt that their lives were improving or worsening. The respondents' trust in other people and their outlook on their own futures were also charted. The respondents' state of mind was examined with questions on various matters relating to emotional states, well-being, and their situation in life.

Background variables included gender, age group, size of the respondent's municipality of residence, region of residence, employer type, employment status, type of employment contract, occupational group, employment sector, trade union membership, political party preference (which party the respondent would vote for), self-perceived social class, mother tongue, and annual income of the respondent's household.