Support for nuclear power is growing in Finland, study finds

Since the premiere of the series Chernobyl, half the world trembles just hearing about nuclear power plants. But nevertheless, the attitude of the Finnish population towards nuclear energy is more positive than ever, according to a survey conducted by the Finnish think-tank EVA and recently published.

The figures that emerge from the study show that 42% of the Finns are in favor of additional nuclear power generation in order to increase the production of electricity. In front of them, there is another 33% of the population that does not even want to hear about the issue. And there is still a high proportion of individuals (25%) who are not clear about their real position regarding this matter.

EVA is a business think-tank that aims to promote the long-term success of the Finnish society. For that reason, it provides information and views on current public debate and proposes reforms to policy makers.

Since 1998, EVA has been asking citizens about their views on the construction of more nuclear plants. Now, for the first time, "a larger part of Finns is in favor" to increasing the country's nuclear power, says the think tank.

More men in favor than women

According to the data published in EVA's website, the views of men and women on nuclear power are clearly different. In general, it can be said that men support the use of this type of energy, while women are against.

The figures show that 62% of men are in favor of additional nuclear power and only 20% are against. In the case of women, the distribution of the percentages is close to the opposite: 22% of the females support nuclear construction, while 47% oppose it.

EVA also remarks that support for nuclear power among Finns increases as the level of education and the socioeconomic status grows.

Perussuomalaiset, the main nuclear fans

Based on the political orientation of the respondents, EVA concludes that the support for nuclear power is particularly strong among the voters of the far-right True Finns Party/Perussuomalaiset (79%); the Swedish People's Party/RKP (73%) and the center-right National Coalition Party/Kokoomus (67%). 

The results of the survey are part of EVA's 2019 Values and Attitudes Study. They are based on 2,059 responses collected from 31 January to 6 February among the entire population of 18-70 years old.

The margin of error for the results is 2-3 percentage points in both directions.