The majority of people in Finland would like to see the country's current alcohol policies remain unchanged, according to a new survey from the Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).
Fifty-seven percent of respondents said they like the status quo, an increase over a similar poll last year when 53 percent echoed those sentiments.
THL's new survey found 11 percent of respondents saying they supported tightening Finland's alcohol policies, with women more likely than men to hold such opinions.
At the same time, 26 percent of respondents said they would like to see Finland liberalise its booze rules — but that is the lowest level of support seen in similar surveys since 2015, according to THL.
Stronger drinks set to be allowed at grocery shops
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's (NCP) government is aiming to change legislation to allow shops and supermarkets to sell drinks with alcohol content up to eight percent. There were initial plans to bring wine sales to grocery stores, but it is thought that will not happen for some time.
The government is to submit a proposal to amend the law on Thursday, according to Jari Keinänen, the deputy director general of the wellbeing and health protection unit at the social affairs and health ministry.
The legislative change would permit grocery stores to sell fermented alcoholic drinks with a maximum alcohol content of eight percent. The percentage limit increase will not apply to drinks like alcopops, but will include beers, ciders and sweet wines.
At the moment, sales of drinks containing more than 5.5 percent alcohol are limited to state-owned alcohol monopoly Alko.
The ministry expects the change to be implemented this spring, but noted that the legislative timetable is in the hands of MPs.
The current law followed legislative reform introduced in 2018, when the National Coalition Party (NCP) was last in power.
Declining support for wines in stores
The institute said annual surveys found that fewer people are interested in getting wines onto grocery store shelves. This year, around 44 percent of respondents said they would like to be able to buy wine at shops, a decrease on last year (48%) as well as on 2022 (54%).
"The change in people's opinions over two years is significant," THL's chief specialist on alcohol policy, Thomas Karlsson, said in a press release.
"The proportion of people in favour of selling wine in supermarkets has decreased by 10 percentage points since 2022," he continued.
According to Karlsson, people's alcohol policy opinions have become more conservative and there is widespread support for current legal age limits for the purchase of alcohol.
The survey found that 94 percent of respondents said that 18 is the right age requirement for the purchase of mild alcoholic beverages. At the same time, 82 percent of respondents said the current age limit of 20 was appropriate for spirit sales.
Last year sales at the state alcohol monopoly Alko dropped by four percent.
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