Ismo Kantola of Turku University says his research confirms the findings of earlier studies that Finnish and Swedish-speaking Finns differ in their attitudes towards alcohol.
Kantola says Swedish-speaking Finns model their drinking habits on central Europeans, which includes taking a more permissive view of their children’s alcohol use.
“Finnish-speaking youths more clearly delineate between being sober or drunk. While it hasn’t been proven that Finnish-speakers drink greater quantities of alcohol, a clear cultural difference exists. Finnish-speakers are intoxicated more frequently than Swedish-speakers,” Kantola explains.
Kantola points out that Swedish-speakers' relaxed attitude towards alcohol has in previous studies been linked to a positive mindset in other areas of life, including education, family and relationships.