HS Gallup: Two in three Finns say that party subsidies should be completely public

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A sizeable majority of Finns - 66 % - say that all donations to political parties should be made completely public.
      The supporters of the left-wing parties and the Greens were more than average in favour of the demand, while the voters of the National Coalition Party were less inclined to call for complete openness.
      One quarter of all respondents would regard it as appropriate if only large contributions were disclosed.
      The facts were indicated by a recent survey commissioned by Helsingin Sanomat and conducted by Suomen Gallup in August. The survey examined Finnish citizens’ attitudes to party subsidies.
     
The funding of political parties itself does not appear to be any critical question. In fact four in five Finns would approve the election contributions received by political parties from private citizens, while two in three would approve the donations from businesses.
      Instead, the Finns are not yet ready to have confidence in the Decree on Public Party Subsidies even though it took effect already in 1967. In fact, slightly less than half of the respondents are in favour of the party subsidies paid from the state budget.
      Cash support from labour unions and employers’ organisations is even less acceptable, the survey indicates.
      The least acceptable forms of contribution are donations by state-owned enterprises. They are approved only by one in four Finns.
     
The survey shows that when it comes to funding arrangements, political parties must not be too active. Nearly every second respondent regards it as wrong if political parties themselves approach companies and organisations in order to raise funds for their activities. Only two in five Finns would find such initiatives acceptable.
      The supporters of the National Coalition Party have the most favourable attitude towards the active search for contributions, while the supporters of the Left Alliance and those of the True Finns regard such activity with disfavour.
     
A correlation was obtained between the attitudes and the ages of the respondents. Younger generations are more likely to approve active fund raising, while the older Finns’ attitudes are rather sour.
      A similar pattern emerged when the respondents were asked about their opinions relating to a potential euro limit to party subsidies.
      Younger generations would allow the political parties a limitless receipt of contributions, while the elderly Finns would prefer a cap on cash support.
      Among the supporters of different parties, the voters of both left-wing parties are in favour of a limit in euros to party subsidies.
      The voters of the National Coalition Party think that politicians should be allowed to accept all donations they are offered. The opinions of the Green League supporters and those of the True Finns voters are split in two.
     
The respondents were also asked which parties the labour unions should support in order to promote the causes of their members.
      The Social Democratic Party tops the list, the contributions to which party 42 % of Finns would approve of. Roughly one-third of respondents would channel such support to the Left Alliance.
      Less than one-third say that the trade union movement should not support any parties under any circumstances.
     
The poll was conducted on August 17th through the 26th, involving telephone interviews with 1,002 Finns above the age of 15. The Åland Islands were excluded from the survey.
      The margin of error in the survey is a maximum three percentage points in either direction.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  President Halonen surprised at scale of election support (12.8.2009)
  Complaints filed with Chancellor of Justice with regard to election contributions (12.8.2009)
  Big parties downplay impact of possible ban on donations by state-owned companies (12.8.2009)
  Listed companies´ cash support for parties is money from shareholders´ pockets (12.8.2009)

Helsingin Sanomat