According to a study commissioned by the Fitness Foundation (KAKS), less than 40 percent of those eligible to vote could vote for members of the provincial assembly next month.
From next year, Finnish health and social care providers will be under the control of the new county governments. Voters will go to the polls on Sunday, January 23, to elect these new bodies. Foreigners can vote in this election.
Check out our really simple guide to Finland’s 2022 provincial elections here.
According to a poll conducted by KAKS, about 41 percent of people said they plan to vote in the January provincial council election. The organization said voter enthusiasm for the upcoming vote had waned since September, when 43 per cent said they would come to the polls.
By comparison, about 60 percent of people reported voting in municipal elections earlier this year. But when all the ballots were counted, only 55 percent of those eligible to vote arrived. According to one study, the turnout in the 2021 municipal elections was lower for voters with lower incomes and lower levels of education than in previous elections.
In light of these figures, TWO said voter turnout in the upcoming health care elections threatens to fall below 40 percent.
Survey results show that the unemployed, studying or less educated are more likely to stay home on election day than other groups, such as typically enthusiastic retirees who want to make their voices heard. Although two-fifths of 18- to 30-year-olds said they would vote, the same applies to only a quarter of those aged 31-40.
Only one-third of the supporters of Basic Finns said they would vote for the party, while more than half of the supporters of the Left Alliance and the SDP said they would vote.
The survey commissioned by the Municipal Development Foundation (KAKS) was conducted by the opinion polling agency Kantar TNS, which interviewed more than 1,000 respondents from 26 November to 1 December. The margin of error is +/- 3 percentage points.
Source: The Nordic Page