The rising cost of energy and inflation in general has prompted households in Finland to change their habits, according to a survey by financial services giant Nordea.
The survey aimed to see how concerned people in Finland were about rising housing costs, how prepared households are for rising interest rates and energy costs as well as how the energy crunch may be affecting real estate values.
More than a third of respondents said they were concerned that rising interest rates will make it difficult to deal with other housing costs.
Nearly half, or about 48 percent, of respondents living in owner-occupied homes said they had already started regulating their energy consumption due to rising costs.
Saving energy was most common among those concerned about rising costs and felt they could cope better by adjusting how much energy they consume, the survey found.
Meanwhile, 60 percent of the respondents said they think the value of their homes will change due to ballooning energy prices. Those who were most likely to think their property values were headed downward were men who lived in rural northern and eastern areas of the country and have considered changing how to heat their homes.
Most of the respondents, more than half, said they were bracing for rising interest and inflation rates. More than one-third, or 36 percent, said they think those growing costs will make it difficult to cope with other housing necessities.
However, a majority, or 59 percent, said they did not think a rise in interest rates will affect their own housing expenditures, while around 70 percent said they had already prepared for interest rate hikes with, for example, interest rate caps or savings.
Nordea's survey was carried out by polling firm Kantar TNS at the end of last month. More than 1,000 people in Finland took part in the survey.