JHL’s survey: More than a million people in Finland think that public services have deteriorated in the past years
These days barely half of those Finnish people who have an opinion about the quality of primary health care give it a positive rating. This data is part of JHL’s recent survey where answers were collected from more than 2000 people in Finland.
The views that people in Finland have on the standards of public services have declined significantly in four years. Four years ago, almost one person in four (24%) thought that the standards have improved in the recent years. Now less than one person in ten (9%) thinks so. The share of those whose view on the matter is neutral has dropped from 26% to 17%.
The share of people who think that public services have deteriorated has gone up 25 percentage points from 44% to 69%. This means that more than one million people in Finland have changed their opinion in four years and now think that public services generally speaking have declined.
This data is part of a public services barometer (in Finnish) that was commissioned by JHL and conducted by Verian. More than 2200 people were interviewed for the barometer. The previous similar barometer was published in 2021.
The survey responses have become more critical especially regarding primary health care. Four years ago, 69% of those survey respondents who had an opinion on the service gave it a positive rating. Now that figure is only 51%.
Services have deteriorated because the cutback policy does not make it possible to produce them properly, stresses Håkan Ekström, the President of the Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors JHL.
– Functioning services need enough funding. This does not happen in wellbeing services counties because the Finnish Government has set too tight schedule for covering budget deficits. The most important problem to solve is providing quick access to primary health care services. All efforts should now be focused on availability of health services, Ekström says.
JHL’s Chief Executive Officer Mari Keturi is also worried about the state of primary health care. She points out that as many as 28% of the respondents feel that they have had problems in primary health care.
– People have to wait in the queue too long. Despite that, the Government is going to make the queue for care even longer by slackening the treatment time guarantee. Wellbeing services counties have let huge numbers of skilled workforce go because they are under pressure to save money. Based on our survey, it’s safe to say that this is not what the people in Finland want from the health services, Keturi emphasises.
People use public services often and are willing to pay for them in taxes
An overwhelming majority of people in Finland use public services. More than half answered that they use these services at least weekly.
The people in Finland are willing to pay taxes in order to have public services that work. As many as 64% of the respondents would accept raising taxes moderately if that helps to avoid cutting services.
Lowering taxes did not get similar support. As many as 59% of Finnish people oppose lowering taxes if that leads to reducing services.
People also get their money’s worth when they pay taxes. Almost half (47%) think that public services give good value for the money they pay in taxes. 27% of people think that they get poor or very poor value for their tax money.
Primary health care is by far the most used service. Four out of five respondents (80%) have used it in the past two years. The next top-used public services are public transport and libraries. Three out of four respondents (75%) told that they have used public transport, and 71% told that they have visited a library in the past two years.
Library was the best-rated public service. As many as 58% of those who had used a library thought that it was very good.
Municipalities and wellbeing services counties decide on the production of many public services. It seems that municipal elections will draw people to polling stations. 62% of the survey respondents told that they are definitely going to vote in these elections.
County elections attract less interest. Only 48% are definitely going to vote in them. This number is calculated excluding people who live in Helsinki because county elections are not organised in Helsinki.
More information:
President of JHL Håkan Ekström, 040 828 2865
Chief Executive Officer of JHL Mari Keturi, 050 461 9315
More information on how the survey was conducted:
Appendices (in Finnihs):
Research Director Sakari Nurmela, Verian, 040 578 5080
The research material of the public services barometer was compiled in January and February 2025 in Forum panel used by Verian. The total number of interviews was 2204. The respondents represent the Finnish population over the age of 18, excluding the people living in Åland. The confidence interval of the results for the whole population is on average about 2.1 percentage points in each direction. The previous barometer was conducted in 2021. The barometer of the year 2025 shows also changes that have happened in attitudes in Finland.