Survey: Finns Less Welcoming of Immigrants
Immigrants gather at an information desk in Hämeenlinna.
Image: YLE / Arttu Horttanainen
Finns are taking a more critical attitude towards immigration, reports the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat.
A survey commissioned by the daily and carried out by Gallup suggests that nearly 60 percent of Finns don't want to see more foreigners in Finland. Only a few years ago, in 2007, half of Finns were ready to welcome more immigrants.
Said Aden, Chairman of the Finnish Somali League, attributes the hardened views to the economic downturn.
Experts add that the results also reflect the increasingly negative tone of immigration debates.
“Politicians are quick to harness hardened views during a downturn. Populist groups initially make use of these views and later established political parties use citizens’ attitudes as leverage,” says Helsinki University social psychology professor Karmela Liebkind.
Heikki Ervasti, a social policy professor at Turku University, points out that relatively few people actually have contact with immigrants.
“Immigration to Finland has been so low that personal contacts with immigrants have hardly affected people’s opinions,” he says.
One thousand people were interviewed in the survey.
YLE