The study on a sample of 3,141 Finns aged 15–93 was conducted by the University of Helsinki from March 31 to April 14 this year. The percentage of Finns trusting that the Americans will fulfill their obligations in the event of an attack on Finland or one of the NATO countries dropped to 13 percent. Last spring it was 16 percent.
The survey questions about readiness to defend did not directly point to Russia as the aggressor. However, the entire study, including Finland's presence in NATO, is related to the threat it poses.
— This is a really poor result, showing that Finns have little trust in their most powerful ally. Of course, this reflects mine. reaction to the harsh language of the US authorities towards Europe – commented Matti Pesu, a researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, one of the experts participating in the NATOpoll research project led by the University of Helsinki.
Finns skeptical of US actions
Finland is also skeptical about the provisions of the bilateral Finnish-American DCA Defense Cooperation Agreement, which specifies, among other things, conditions of the presence of American troops in the country.
At the same time, 75 percent The Finns believe that they can trust other NATO countries declaring their readiness to defend Finland.
The survey published on Tuesday also confirms the Finnish public's continued high support (73%) for NATO membership. The Finnish authorities, after decades of pursuing a policy of balance between the East and the West, decided to join NATO in 2022 in response to Russia's full-scale military attack on Ukraine. Before him, only every fourth or fifth Finn was in favor of NATO. During the accession process and immediately after admission to NATO on April 4, 2023, in 2022-2023, peak support for membership exceeded 80%.
