Majority Finns think Russia’s invasion of Ukraine rises dev co-op need

About 85 per cent of Finns believe that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine increased the need for development cooperation and humanitarian aid, according to a recent survey.

Research organisation Taloustutkimus carried out the survey commissioned by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, however, found divided attitudes among the Finnish people towards development cooperation, said the ministry in a press release on Wednesday.

The survey revealed that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shapes Finns’ attitudes towards development cooperation and humanitarian aid.

As many as 94 per cent of the respondents strongly agree or agree to some extent that it is important for Finland to provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

Altogether 85 per cent believe that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine increases the overall need for development cooperation and humanitarian aid compared to 82 per cent the year before.

The percentage of those who consider humanitarian aid important has risen in recent years: this year, 80 per cent of Finns considered humanitarian aid as very important or fairly important compared to 77 per cent and 68 per cent in 2022 and 2021, respectively. Humanitarian aid is part of development cooperation and it is used to help people affected by natural disasters and armed conflicts, among other events.

Finns’ attitudes towards development cooperation are becoming increasingly divided. Eighty per cent of women consider development cooperation as very important or fairly important, compared to 46 per cent of men. In 2022, the corresponding figures were 76 per cent and 55 per cent, respectively.

A division is visible also in terms of party affiliation. Only 15 per cent of Perussuomalaiset (Finns Party) voters consider development cooperation important, compared to 25 per cent in 2022. The corresponding percentage for those voting the Vihreä liitto (Green League) rose from last year’s 94 per cent to 98 per cent this year.

Finns are divided even in their perceptions of development cooperation results. Half of the respondents (46%) believe that development cooperation generates results very well or fairly well, while the other half (45%) believe the opposite.

The survey was conducted as an online panel from 30 May to 5 June 2023, and it was responded by 1,152 people from different parts of Finland.

The target group of the survey was people between the ages of 15 and 79. The results were weighted by age, gender and place of residence according to population statistics. The confidence level was 95% with a margin of error of +/- 3.