People in Finland are less satisfied with how the government has handled the coronavirus crisis than they were about eight months ago, according to findings from two surveys carried out by Åbo Akademi University in Turku.
Last month around 38 percent of respondents said they thought the government's measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus were well-balanced between public health and economic concerns. However, a similar survey carried out in May found nearly half of the respondents said the same.
The respondents' answers have become more polarised since May — with respondents increasingly either very critical or very positive.
In general, men tended to be more critical than women, while the oldest age groups were the most supportive of coronavirus restrictions.
Leaders and institutions
Approximately 43 percent of respondents in the most recent survey found the coronavirus-related restrictions in place last month were reasonable, while a majority found that the rules were either too strict or not stringent enough.
The survey also examined people's attitudes about how political leaders and institutions have handled the crisis.
There was very little change in people's attitudes toward the Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), which has helped to lead policymakers' decisions about restrictions and other measures.
In May, around 19 percent of respondents said they thought the THL had acted "very well" in the crisis. Last month that proportion dipped slightly to 17 percent. The vast majority, 62 and 61 percent respectively in each survey, said THL had acted "fairly well."
Dip in satisfaction for PM
Meanwhile, approval of efforts by Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) efforts during the pandemic dropped, with 26 percent saying she acted "very well" during the crisis in May and just 18 percent saying the same last month.
At the other end of the spectrum, increasing numbers of respondents said they considered the PM's epidemic-related actions to be "very poor," or the lowest on the scale, with 16 percent saying so in May and 22 percent saying that last month. However, 39 and 37 percent of respondents (respectively) said they thought Marin was doing a "fairly good" job.
One minister in particular saw increased approval over the eight-month period. In May, just six percent of respondents said the Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services, Krista Kiuru, was doing a "very good" job but that proportion jumped to 11 percent in January. Kiuru began maternity leave in early January.
The survey was carried out by Åbo Akademi on its web-based polling platform kansalaismielipide.fi. About 4,000 respondents took part in the survey between 18 and 21 January 2022. The findings of the new survey were compared to a previous poll carried out 7-16 May 2021.