One in three Finns would support Nato membership, according to a new poll conducted for Iltalehti by Taloustutkimus. The poll found that 34 percent of respondents would support Finland joining the alliance, with 45 percent opposed to the idea.
Finnish attitudes have changed since the start of the Ukraine crisis. Last week Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen told Yle that he personally supported Nato membership, although he stressed that was a personal view and not government policy.
Last summer an Yle poll found that 29 percent of people supported joining Nato while 52 percent opposed the idea. Helsingin Sanomat polls found support rising this year during the Ukraine crisis, with 18 percent supporting membership in February and 22 percent in March.
An Yle poll this year found that 54 percent of Finns would support a military alliance with Nordic neighbour Sweden.
Iltalehti’s poll included responses from 1,110 people and the margin of error was +-2.5 percent.