Finns trust in US defense role on wane: survey

A large majority of Finns believe the "rules-based international order" is already collapsing, while public trust in the United States as a defense partner has declined further, according to a University of Helsinki survey published on Tuesday, reported Xinhua. According to the survey, 71 percent of respondents said the "rules-based international order" has effectively collapsed, while 74 percent said Europe should defend an international order based on common agreements. The survey also showed a further decline in Finnish trust in the United States on defense and security issues. Seventy-nine percent of respondents said the United States can not be counted on to defend Finland in a crisis, while 13 percent said they still trust the country. Only about one-tenth of Finns believe the United States will be ready to defend its NATO allies under the current administration. The survey also found that Finns want to reduce dependence on the United States in key security-related sectors. Eighty-seven percent of respondents favor reducing dependence on U.S. weapons technology, while 79 percent want to reduce dependence on U.S. digital technology infrastructure. Support for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) also declined. Seventy-three percent said they will still vote in favor of Finland's NATO membership, down 10 percentage points from its peak two years ago. The University of Helsinki said in a press release that the decline appeared to reflect "the increase in uncertainty due to the changed positioning of the United States and the internal tensions within the defense alliance." Hanna Wass, the leading researcher in the NATOpoll group and an associate professor at the University of Helsinki, told national broadcaster Yle that there is a growing discrepancy between official Finnish statements on relations with the United States and public opinion. The survey was conducted between March 31 and April 14, 2026, with responses from 3,141 Finns aged 15 to 93. The margin of error was 1.8 percentage points.

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