Citizens’ Pulse: Finns now more concerned about escalation of war in Ukraine

Concerns about Russia’s actions have further increased among respondents in the January Citizens’ Pulse survey compared to the results from the latter part of last year.

Significantly more respondents than before, around four out of five, said they were now concerned about the escalation of the war in Ukraine, compared with 73 per cent at the end of the year. 
Concerns that Russia could take military action against Finland have also seen an increase. Around 68 per cent of respondents are now at least somewhat concerned about this possibility, whereas the corresponding figure in December was 63 per cent.
Concerns about Russia’s efforts to influence Finnish society have also increased to some extent.

That said, Finland’s response to Russia’s influence activities is still considered sufficient and timely. In the most recent survey, 63 per cent of respondents said they were at least fairly satisfied with Finland’s response.

Concerns about ability to get by at highest level since start of COVID-19 crisis

Finns’ concerns about their ability to cope financially have been gradually increasing in the Citizens’ Pulse surveys and are now at their highest level since the surveys began in spring 2020.
Of the respondents, 42 per cent now say that they are at least somewhat concerned about the ability of their household to get by over the next month.

Around half of the respondents said that they were postponing larger purchases due to uncertainty brought on by the crisis, and nearly as many said they had made changes to their consumption habits due to rising prices.

Young women experiencing particularly high levels of stress

The Citizens' Pulse survey regularly asks about the amount of stress experienced by the respondents, and the overall level of stress reported in the January survey is relatively high.
The highest levels of stress are experienced by girls and women aged 15 to 29, more than half of whom now report experiencing at least quite a lot of stress. In spring 2020, the corresponding figure for this age group was around one-third.

“The amount of stress reported by all age groups has increased in recent years, and unfortunately this increase has been most pronounced among young women, who already experience higher levels of stress than other groups,” says Chief Specialist Juho Jyrkiäinen from the Prime Minister’s Office.

The latest online Citizens’ Pulse survey was conducted on 17–22 January. This is the 52nd round of the survey, which examines citizens’ opinions on current issues and government activities and asks about their mood and expectations for the future. Statistics Finland is responsible for collecting the survey data.

Inquiries: Juho Jyrkiäinen, Chief Specialist, Prime Minister’s Office, tel. +358 295 160 181