About 80 per cent of Finns are at least somewhat concerned about the effects of the unstable global political situation on the economy, according to a survey commissioned by OP Financial Group.
This is the most widespread concern expressed in the survey, said OP in a press release on Friday.
The next biggest concerns are the development of the Finnish economy and the changed economic policy of the United States.
“Of the economic options given, the ones causing the least for Finns are artificial intelligence, personal finances, and labour shortages. The past few years have been exceptional on many levels. Older age groups are most concerned about the unstable global political situation. This is understandable because they lived during the previous Cold War and saw its effects on the economy,” said Harri Nummela, Head of OP Financial Group's Retail Banking.
According to the survey, women are concerned about all the issues that affect economic development presented in the survey. The biggest differences can be found in the effects of climate change and labour shortages on the economy.
Sixty seven per cent of women are at least somewhat concerned about the impact of climate change on the economy, compared to forty four per cent of men.
Forty four per cent of women and twenty five per cent of men are concerned about the labour shortage, which is widely predicted to be a problem for the economies of Finland and other Western countries.
"According to many studies, women are generally more worried than men. According to some studies, the gender gap in concern is even growing. According to a study conducted in the United Kingdom, the COVID-19 crisis increased the level of concern experienced by men and women. However, worry can also be a positive thing if it leads to better financial preparedness,” Nummela said.
The smallest differences are in questions concerning Finland's economic development and its own employment.
The survey asked whether the following issues worry you from a financial perspective. The issues were the uncertain global political situation, the development of the Finnish economy, the changed economic policy of the United States, healthcare, regional inequality, climate change, artificial intelligence, personal finances and labour shortages.
OP Financial Group's online survey in March 2025 was answered by a total of 1065 people in Finland over the age of 18.
The survey was conducted for OP Financial Group by Taloustutkimus. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points for the entire respondent group.
- Finns
- Worry
- Global
- Politics
- Economy
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
