The government has a poor grasp of Finland's economy, estimate citizens who responded to a poll by MTV News. An overriding 83 per cent of them see the economy as managed either poorly or extremely poorly.
Those that feel Finland's economy is managed very poorly by the government and the ministry comes to 35 per cent. The percentage of respondents seeing the management as rather poor is 48, whereas 17 per cent rate the government as rather good in economic management. Not one respondent says the government is doing very well.
"It sounds like citizens know what's going on. It also sounds like the government need not fear the nation's reaction in making reforms," estimates Nordea's chief economist Aki Kangasharju.
Both citizens who responded to the poll and Kangasharju think that reforms should have been, and should be, enforced rapidly.
"We're currently in a consensus jam where decision-making is very difficult," Kangasharju reflects on the 64 per cent of respondents who believe in the continued decline and stagnation of Finland's economy this year. While 34 per cent believe there will be slow growth, only two per cent believe there will be rapid economic growth.
Russia's economic development is seen as either causing Finland significant or at least some disadvantage when it comes to growth. While 24 per cent of respondents see it as a significant disadvantage for the development of our national economy and 60 per cent as some kind of disadvantage, only 8 per cent believe that the economic development of Russia is not really or not at all a disadvantage.
"Of these external factors, Russia's effect is undeniably the greatest and stands the most in the way of a turn for the better," Kangasharju says.
The poll was carried out by Think If Laboratories 19-26 December 2014. The amount of respondents was 1,526.
MTV 3 January. TOMMI MANNINEN
LEHTIKUVA / Heikki Saukkomaa
