Ministry for Foreign Affairs report: Russians’ attitudes towards Finland are contradictory, no major changes compared to the previous year

Ministry for Foreign Affairs report: Russians' attitudes towards Finland are contradictory, no major changes compared to the previous year

According to a survey commissioned by the Embassy of Finland in Moscow, the number of Russians with a negative attitude towards Finland has not increased compared to the previous year, but the hardening of attitudes is evident over a longer observation period. However, some positive perceptions of Finland persist. The most positive attitudes are found among young people.

A survey conducted by the Levada Center in July 2024, commissioned by the Embassy of Finland in Moscow, indicates that Finland's reputation among Russians has stabilised at a lower level compared to previous years following Russia's war of aggression and Finland's subsequent NATO membership.

This year, 40% of Russians reported a positive attitude towards Finland, compared to 37% in 2023. The improvement falls within the margin of error (3.4%) of the survey. Over a longer observation period, the trend is clearly downward: in 2022, 51% of Russians viewed Finland positively, in 2021 it was 68%, and in 2019 as high as 71%.

Figure 1: How do you generally feel about Finland at present?

Among different respondent groups, the most positive attitudes are found among young adults aged 18-24, of whom 61% still report a positive attitude towards Finland. Among respondents aged over 55, only 29% think this way.

Across the entire data set, 27% of Russians reported a negative attitude towards Finland in 2024 (28% in 2023; 5% in 2019). As in the previous year, one in three respondents (33%) was unable or unwilling to express an opinion. This can partly be explained by the geographical scope of the survey, as people living further away from Finland's border and outside major cities may not have personal experiences of Finland. On the other hand, the Levada Center assesses that traditional positive images of Finland, formed over the years, still influence some Russians, but Finland's negative portrayal in Russian state media creates a conflict. As a result, respondents are unable or unwilling to express a clear opinion.

'The decline in Finland's reputation is rooted in the way Russian state media and propagandists depict the entire West as hostile to Russia. The EU sanctions on Russia, Finland's and Sweden's NATO membership, and the border closure are all tied to this narrative. We must remember that the deterioration in relations is, of course, due to Russia's own actions in initiating the war of aggression against Ukraine,' says Finnish Ambassador to Moscow Marja Liivala.

Relations between Finland and Russia perceived as cold; reasons for the border decision not understood

Russians' views on the relations between Finland and Russia are similar to those a year ago. 29% of respondents described the relations as cold, 22% as tense, and 10% as hostile. 7% of respondents consider the relations good, and 15% describe them as 'normal and peaceful'. 19% were unable to express an opinion.

When asked what actions by Finland could further weaken the relations between the two countries, 51% mentioned NATO bases on Finnish territory, 14% cited new sanctions against Russia, and 11% mentioned the continuation of entry restrictions.

This year's survey included a new question about Finland's decision to close its border with Russia at the end of 2023. The influence of Russian state propaganda is evident in the results: 38% of respondents believe Finland closed its border due to the 'Russophobic policies' of NATO, the EU and the United States. 34% believe the closure was due to Finland condemning Russia's military actions in Ukraine. Only 9% cited the actual reason: the movement of migrants to the border without travel documents orchestrated by Russia. 19% could not identify any reason for the situation.

Surprisingly many are unaware of Finland's NATO membership; the Winter War seen as increasingly justified

One surprising result is that only 65% of Russian adults are aware that Finland is a member of NATO. Among Russian men, 75% recognise this fact, but among young people aged 18-24, only 54% do. Among respondents from Northwest Russia, the area closest to Finland, awareness of NATO membership is already at 80%.

Across all the respondent groups, 29% view Finland's NATO membership as a 'fairly significant threat', and 35% see it as a 'minor threat' 23% believe that Finland's NATO membership poses 'no threat at all' to Russia, while 13% could not express an opinion. In light of these figures, it is contradictory that 56% of respondents said that Finland's NATO membership had not affected their attitude towards Finland, and that their attitude remained unchanged. 39% said it had negatively affected their view of Finland.

'It is somewhat surprising that despite internal propaganda in Russia, one in three Russians is unaware of Finland's NATO membership. This suggests that Finland is still only one country among many in the eyes of Russians, and we may not occupy Russian minds as much as we sometimes think. For some Russians, Finland is also geographically distant,' says Mikko Koivumaa, Director General of Communications at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

The country image surveys that the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has conducted in Russia have also often examined perceptions of the Winter War. An increasing proportion of respondents (53%) consider the Winter War justified from the Soviet Union's perspective. In 2019, only 34% of Russians thought this way, but support for Russia's military actions in Ukraine and the government's long-standing efforts to rewrite history have also shaped people's perceptions of the justification of past wars.

For the first time, this year's survey included a question about whether respondents had noticed certain historical claims about Finland in the media or political speeches. The following three themes were recognised by 17% of respondents: Finland's participation in the Siege of Leningrad, wartime prison camps maintained by Finns in Karelia, and the execution of Soviet citizens or prisoners of war in areas occupied by Finland. 11% reported hearing about ambitions to establish Greater Finland. However, 58% of respondents had not encountered such claims about Finland, and 7% were uncertain.

Actor Ville Haapasalo remains the most recognised Finn

The 2024 survey results suggest that general knowledge about Finland among Russians is gradually declining, but certain long-standing perceptions endure. Russians are most interested in Finland's nature (34% of respondents), culture (14%), and history and traditions (14%). 13% still mentioned tourism, shopping trips and Finnish products. 28% of respondents could not name anything that interests them about Finland.

When asked to describe Finnish society, 29% of respondents still associated Finland with a 'high standard of living' in 2021. In 2024, only 18% make this association. 16% described Finnish society as 'closed off' (9% in 2021), and 12% as 'democratic' (20% in 2021).

As a trivia question, respondents were asked which Finns they could name. The list of most recognised Finns in Russia has remained largely unchanged for a long time, although none are particularly well known to the general public. Actor Ville Haapasalo, who has previously appeared in Russian films, was recognised by 19% of respondents, Mannerheim by 12%, and Mika Häkkinen by 10%. Among Russian adults, 6% know Kimi Räikkönen, 5% recognise Tove Jansson, and 4% know Urho Kekkonen, Ville Valo and Johan Bäckman, who occasionally appears in propagandist Russian television programmes. Only 1% of respondents know Presidents Stubb or Niinistö or Prime Minister Orpo, while 2% recognise former Prime Minister Sanna Marin. 60% could not name any Finns.

Background

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has commissioned country image surveys about Finland in Russia since 2017, at least once in every two years. The current survey was the sixth.

The survey was commissioned by the Embassy of Finland in Moscow and conducted by the Levada Center through in-person interviews in 50 regions and 137 population centres in Russia between 25 and 31 July 2024. The survey included a representative sample of 1,603 Russian adults aged over 18, with a margin of error of 3.4%. Levada is an independent research institute that has been listed as a 'foreign agent' by Russia's Ministry of Justice since 2016.

Of those surveyed, 7% reported having visited Finland at least once. 28% expressed a desire to visit Finland someday. Only 5% of respondents would be willing to move to Finland permanently if given the opportunity (compared to 19% in 2021).

Since Finland was forced to close its main consulate in Saint Petersburg in 2023, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has not conducted separate country image surveys in Northwest Russia for the past two years. However, responses from this region are included in national surveys. Based on this sample, Finland is better known in Northwest Russia due to personal experiences, but attitudes towards Finland in the region do not significantly differ from the overall results.

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