Finns are less satisfied with the way the government has handled the coronavirus crisis than it was about eight months ago, according to two studies conducted by Turku Åbo Akademi University.
Last month, about 38 percent of respondents said they thought the government’s efforts to prevent the spread of the coronavirus were balanced between public health and economic concerns. However, in a similar survey in May, nearly half of respondents said the same.
Respondents ’responses have been polarized since May – respondents are increasingly either very critical or very positive.
In general, men were more critical than women, while the oldest age groups supported coronavirus restrictions the most.
Leaders and institutions
About 43 percent of respondents to the most recent survey thought the restrictions on the coronavirus in effect last month were reasonable, while the vast majority considered the rules to be either too strict or too strict.
The survey also looked at people’s attitudes about how political leaders and institutions have handled the crisis.
People’s attitudes towards the Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) have changed very little, which has helped guide decision-makers on restrictions and other measures.
In May, about 19 percent of respondents said they believed THL had acted "alright" in a crisis. Last month, the share fell slightly to 17 percent. The majority, 62 and 61 percent in each study, said THL acted "pretty good."
Satisfied with PM
At the same time, the Prime Minister accepted the efforts Sanna Marin (SDP) during the pandemic, efforts declined, with 26 percent saying they acted "alright" during the crisis in May and only 18 percent said the same last month.
At the other end of the scale, more and more respondents said they liked the prime minister’s response to epidemics "very bad," or the lowest on the scale, 16 percent said so in May and 22 percent last month. However, 39 and 37 percent of respondents (respectively) said they believed Marin would do a "pretty good" Job.
In particular, one minister saw increased approval over eight months. In May, only six percent of respondents said the Minister of Family and Social Affairs Krista Kiuruwas doing a "Very good" job, but the share jumped to 11 percent in January. Kiuru started maternity leave in early January.
The survey was conducted by Åbo Akademi University in its citizenmielipide.fi voting service. Approximately 4,000 respondents participated in the survey from 18 to 21 January 2022. The results of the new survey were compared with the previous survey conducted on May 7-16, 2021.
Source: The Nordic Page