Majority of Finns favour helping in defence of other EU countries
Patriotic sentiment runs high
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About three out of five Finns surveyed would approve of the participation of Finnish battle groups of the European Union to defend another EU member state that came under attack.
According to a survey conducted by Suomen Gallup, only nine percent of Finns were opposed to coming to the aid of another EU member state.
The most critical voices were found among supporters of the Left Alliance, one fourth of whom were opposed to the idea. About one half of supporters of both the Left Alliance and the Centre Party are in favour of Finnish participation in such action.
About two thirds of supporters of the Social Democratic Party, the National Coalition Party, and the Greens were in favour of defending other EU members under attack.
Only one out of four Finns were in favour of Finnish participation in NATO military operations. More than one third of Finns are opposed to the idea.
More than three out of four feel that Finland must defend itself against any military attack, even if the result might look doubtful. There were no significant disparities in this respect among Finns of different party affiliations.
Many women under the age of 25 felt quite differently about the issue than other Finns; more than half were opposed to military action against an attacker in an unsure situation.
Support for national defence is high especially among those under the age of 35 who have completed their national service. As many as 87% of them would want to take part in the defence of the country in the role that they were trained for, if Finland were to come under attack.
Fully 92% of respondents described themselves as "patriotic". Only one percent did not feel that they are patriotic at all.
Helsingin Sanomat
