International study: Finns and French have similar values
Finns’ attitudes differ sharply from those in other Nordic Countries
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A freshly released European study indicates that the life values of the French are closest to those of the Finns.
The study was arranged by the European Social Survey (ESS), and involved interviews with a total of 40,000 people around Europe in late 2002 and early 2003. The results showed that Finnish and French women are especially close in their key attitudes.
The French and the Finns particularly agree that success, wealth, and prestige are values of very little importance, whereas equal treatment and care for other people and the environment are more significant.
"Have the French become Finlandised, or have the Finns become more like the French during their time in the EU? Or have our values been similar for a long time - since the Great Revolution promoting liberty, fraternity, and equality?" ponders Seppo Laaksonen, Professor of Statistics at the University of Helsinki, who also works as a sampling expert for ESS.
Both the Finns and the French were found to belong to the core of the "basic European" family of values, which are fairly close to those of Germany, as well as Britain, Portugal, and The Netherlands.
Somewhat similar values are found in Belgium, Denmark, and Switzerland. The loosest connections to the basic European family of values are to be found in Sweden and Norway.
Hungary, Slovenia, Spain, Ireland, Poland, and the Czech Republic - heavily influenced by Catholicism - form a separate family alongside the basic European values. Information was not available for Italy.
Seppo Laaksonen sees a connection between the results of the survey and the recent controversy over the composition of the European Commission. "It brought out strong opinions about intolerance within the Catholic religion."
The third unified family of values is small and surprising. It comprises Greece, Austria, and Israel, which differ sharply from the others.
For Finland, the most startling result was that the system of values in this country differed quite distinctly from that which prevails in the other Nordic Countries - although the Swedes did agree with the Finns and French that riches and success are not especially important.
Traditions, following rules, and overall decency are more important for Finns than for other Nordic citizens.
Swedes and Norwegians saw equal treatment and care for fellow human beings and for nature as considerably less important than Finns and Danes do.
In the Nordic region, the Danes are the most open to new experiences and adventures, while the Norwegians are least enthusiastic.
"The divisions among gender lines give predictable results. For women, traditions, care for others, as well as equality are more important than for men, and men have a greater appreciation for creativity and success", Professor Laaksonen notes.
"Old people are more conservative, but the young are more appreciative of achievements and respect, and are more open to change."
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 29.11.2004 - TODAY |
 International study: Finns and French have similar values |
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