The majority of people in Finland do not support the transportation or storage of Nato nuclear weapons in the country, according to a survey by the University of Helsinki.
Only 27 percent of the survey's 2,877 respondents would allow the transportation of nuclear weapons through Finland, while 61 percent opposed it. Warehousing nuclear weapons in Finland was even less favoured, with 14 percent in favour and 77 percent against allowing the storage of weapons on Finnish ground.
The study, conducted in collaboration with the University of Turku and Åbo Akademi, was published on Thursday. It also found that although the Finnish public supports Nato membership, attitudes towards permanent Nato bases or troops are divided.
Close to half of respondents, 43 percent, opposed the establishment of a permanent Nato base while some 46 percent were in favour.
"Finland is protected by Nato's nuclear umbrella, but the shared responsibility does not extend to a willingness to transport weapons here. This might be a reflection of a not-in-my-backyard mentality, but above all, it is indicative of Finland's long history of nuclear disarmament," said Helsinki University professor Hanna Wass.
The not-in-my-backyard mentality refers to when someone is in favour of something in principle, as long as it does not directly affect them.
Finland has long had a negative attitude towards nuclear weapons, and Finnish law prohibits them. The Director of the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies, Tuomas Forsberg, said it would be surprising if the public attitude towards them changed, despite recent developments.
Forsberg further notes that people in Finland have historically trusted the country's own defence capabilities and continue to do so.
"One might think that we only joined Nato because of a desire for more security and deterrence. Or [perhaps] it was just a signal to Russia that we will not be dictated to," he suggested.
Researcher: For some, Nato seems like an elite or right-wing project
The survey showed that an overwhelming majority, 81 percent, supported being part of the alliance, while only 11 percent said they would vote against membership. The figure is slightly above the average support levels among countries belonging to Nato, which most recently measured at 72 percent.
Wass said that people's educational and economic backgrounds may impact their attitude towards Nato membership.
Of those from lower-income backgrounds, 67 percent reported being in favour, while the equivalent figure for high-income earners was 91 percent.
The study further found that 76 percent of people who had completed high school viewed the military alliance favourably, while support was 84 percent among those with university degrees.
There was also a link between party affiliation and support for Nato in Finland. Both those leaning to the far left and those towards the far right were less supportive of Nato than those in between. Among party voters, people who supported the Left Alliance and the Finns Party were less supportive of Nato, according to the survey.
"The less you earn and the less educated you are, the more critical you are of Nato. More broadly, this can be explained by overall societal attitudes, whether Nato appears to be a project of the right wing or the elite," Wass observed.
