Finnish EU Attitudes 1995

The survey focused on Finnish views on the impact of Finland's EU membership, views on the EU itself, and on the future of the Union. The respondents were first asked how interested they were in matters related to Finland's EU membership, how well they felt acquainted with these issues, how much the EU membership had changed Finnish society, and whether the changes corresponded to the expectations of the respondents. Future development and pace of change in the EU were estimated. The respondents also evaluated their satisfaction with the actions of various institutions (e.g. the president, the government) in EU issues, and the effects of the EU membership in Finland. The respondents were asked what kind of developments Finland should promote within the EU. The survey carried a set of statements relating to Finland's EU membership, the EMU, and economic subsidies provided by the EU. Views on EU enlargement were studied by listing a number of countries and asking the respondents how they would feel if these countries became members of the Union. The respondents were also asked how they had voted in the 1994 referendum on EU membership, and how they would vote if a new referendum were held at the time of the survey. Background variables included the respondent's gender, age group, size of municipality, size of province of residence, education, occupational group, field of activity, trade union membership, and which party's candidate R would vote for if the parliamentary elections were held at that time.