Men with low salaries and women aged 35-54 are most keen on transformations in society. Men aged 55-64 are also strongly in favour.

No less than a quarter of all Finns want a clear change. Altogether about 66 percent think, at least somewhat, that change is needed.

Remarkably, change seems to be required on many different fronts. The emphasis on “green” values is strong. Many have expressed the hope for a healthier and more ecological lifestyle. Focus on home and family has also become more widespread.

However, apart from the issues of society, attitudes have taken more of a turn for stability and conservatism, particularly among men.

Concerns over egotism

The survey shows that the people who want change are independent actors by nature, who want to do things without relying on the opinions of others. It also emerged that such attitudes have become more common since last year.

On the other hand, people are increasingly concerned that selfishness and greed are getting more widespread. Only six percent of the people said they were self-centred, but the vast majority saw this trait in others.

The social and cultural research programme RISC Monitor has followed the changes in Finns’ attitudes for the last 30 years. This year, 9,865 Finnish-speaking persons aged 15-70 participated in this annual survey, which TNS Gallup carried out in February-April.