Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) and Finance Minister Riikka Purra (Finns Party). Photo: Vesa Moilanen / Lehtikuva
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Nearly half of Finns now identify with the political right, according to a new survey by the Finnish Business and Policy Forum (EVA), marking a record high in the organisation’s annual values and attitudes research.
The 2025 survey found that 49 percent of respondents place themselves on the right of the political spectrum. The proportion identifying with the left stands at 31 percent, while only 19 percent consider themselves centrist. The centre has declined steadily with each round of the survey.
According to EVA’s Head of Communications Mikko Laakso, the findings suggest a growing polarisation. “Finns no longer seek their identity in the centre,” he said. “More people are choosing a side, especially the right, and doing so more deliberately.”
The survey also shows that liberal values remain strong. A majority of respondents, 53 percent, define themselves as liberal, while 24 percent describe themselves as conservative. Liberal identity is most common among young women, students, and the highly educated.
Ideologically, Finns are grouped into four main categories: left-liberals (24 percent), right-liberals (22 percent), right-conservatives (18 percent), and a mixed group (32 percent) with centrist positioning on at least one axis. Only five percent identify as left-conservatives.
Laakso noted that liberalism is strongly tied to left-wing identity, while the right includes both liberals and conservatives. This reflects broader ideological fragmentation within the right, which has grown more divided in recent years.
The poll was conducted by Taloustutkimus in March through an online panel and includes responses from 2,070 Finns aged 18 to 79. The margin of error is 2 to 3 percentage points in either direction.
The political shift comes as Finland is governed by a right-wing coalition led by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and Finance Minister Riikka Purra. Despite this, public support for the government remains low. A June survey found that only one in four Finns rated the government’s performance as at least somewhat successful, with just five percent describing it as very successful.
EVA’s latest figures suggest that right-wing views remain dominant in public opinion, regardless of the coalition’s approval ratings. The data indicates a structural change in how Finns view political alignment, with a clear move away from centrist labels and towards stronger ideological affiliations.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
