Poll: About half of Finns prefer centre-right government

Support for centre-left coalition collapses after election

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A fresh poll indicates that 49 per cent of Finns feel that a centre-right coalition with the Centre Party and the National Coalition Party as the main political groups would be the best option for a new government. Only 26 per cent feel that the current model of a centre-left government with the Centre Party and the Social Democrats as the main partners is a good idea.
      The poll, commissioned by Helsingin Sanomat and conducted by Suomen Gallup, shows that just 11 per cent want a "red-blue" government with the National Coalition Party and the Social Democrats. Fifteen per cent did not give an opinion.
      The interviews for the poll were taken just over a week after last month’s Parliamentary elections in which the Centre and the National Coalition emerged as the two largest parties.
     
The results differ sharply from those of earlier surveys. Before the elections, the centre-left option was preferred, with only one in four supporting a centre-right coalition. Before the elections, the red-blue option was slightly more popular than after the vote.
      A centre-right government is the most popular option among supporters of the National Coalition Party. A majority of Centre Party voters also support the centre-right option. Most of the supporters of the Social Democrats and the Left Alliance prefer a centre-left government.
     
Among voters of the Green League, a centre-left and centre-right coalition were about equally popular.
      Men tended to favour a centre-right government, with 53 per cent supporting the option, while 44 per cent of women felt the same way. There was little correlation with age, although the youngest voters - those under the age of 24 - were the least favourable toward a centre-right government.
      Among professional groups, managers and higher-ranking office workers were the most supportive of the idea of a centre-right government. Meanwhile, 40 per cent of those who are unemployed would like the centre-left option, and one in three prefer a centre-right option.
     
In addition to the main government parties, respondents were asked what all parties they would like to see in a new government.
      The most popular party for the government was the Centre, followed by the National Coalition. The Greens had bypassed the SDP as the third-most popular government party. Before the elections, the Social Democrats were the most popular after the Centre.
      Respondents tended to prefer the Christian Democrats and the True Finns to the Left Alliance.
      The Greens were the second-favourite government party among women and young adults - right after the Centre.
     
The poll involved interviews with 1,001 Finns aged 15 and over living in all parts of the country except the Åland Islands. The survey was conducted between March 20th and 29th. The margin of error is three percentage points in either direction.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Poll: Centre-SDP government overwhelming favourite (16.3.2007)

Helsingin Sanomat