Majority of Finns think it is important to support families with children, but supporters of the National Coalition Party and the Finns Party stand out from the rest

In particular, we noted that there were wide differences of opinion between the supporters of the current main governing parties, the National Coalition Party and the Finns Party. More voters from the National Coalition Party, over half of them, than from any other party thought that the state already supports families sufficiently, while less than a third of those who voted for the Finns Party thought so.

On the question of whether the division between the well-offs and the less well-of has become more pronounced, those who voted for the Finns Party were in line with all respondents, with 68% of them saying that the division has become more pronounced, compared with 65% of all respondents. Those who voted for the National Coalition Party, on the other hand, differed from all others, with just under half of them saying the divide had become more pronounced. (Figure 1.)

Figure 1. How would you rate the success of the government in promoting the well-being of families and children in Finland? Proportions of those who answered “yes” according to the party they voted for in the 2019 Parliamentary elections. Those who voted for the six largest parties and those who did not vote.

Is party affiliation also reflected in other issues?

In addition to the “general assessment” of the government, the Family Barometer also looked at how Finns feel about family policy measures and reforms in more detail. The main result was that different measures are considered important and even more important than before, regardless of whether you live in a family with children or are in another life situation.

But could there be party affiliation differences in these opinions as well? We now examine this with the barometer data for the four measures rated most important by all respondents. How important do supporters of different parties rate flexible working hours or better part-time work opportunities for parents with young children, support for housing for families with children, and a separate 200€ child benefit for low-income families with children?

Figure 2: Percentage who consider the listed measures very or somewhat important, according to the party they voted for in the 2019 Parliamentary elections.

As can be seen in Figure 2, Finns’ opinions on the four family policy measures also vary by party affiliation. In particular, those who voted for the current main governing parties stand out. Although there is a difference between the views of the National Coalition Party and the Finns Party, the differences between the views of supporters of these parties are smaller compared to the views of supporters of other parties.

Among those who voted for the Finns Party, flexibility in working life is seen less important than others

Those who voted for the Finns Party are less likely than others to consider flexibility in working life – flexible working hours and better part-time work opportunities for parents with young children – as important family policy measures. Just under three out of ten voters of the Finns Party think these measures are very important. Although the share of those who consider it somewhat important is roughly the same as for those who voted for other parties, less than 80% of those who voted for the Finns Party consider flexibility in working life to be an important family policy measure. More than 80% of voters of all other parties think so.

After the Finns Party, those who voted for the Coalition Party are the least likely to consider these measures very important: 36% for flexible working hours compared to 40%-49% for other parties, and 34% for part-time work compared to 34%-48%. However, it should be noted that regardless of which party they voted for, a large majority of Finns consider measures to make working life more flexible to be at least somewhat important.

Voters for the National Coalition Party and the Finns Party are less likely to consider a separate child benefit of 200€ important

When asked about the importance of family policy measures for low-income families with children, housing support and a separate child benefit of 200€, those who voted for the National Coalition Party stand out the most. Fewer than one in five of them consider housing support for families with children, and fewer than one in four consider the separate 200€ child allowance for low-income families with children to be very important family policy measures. The second lowest proportion, 31%, of those who see a separate child benefit of 200€ as a very important family policy reform can be found among the Finns Party. Only around three out of five – but still a majority – of National Coalition and Finns Party supporters consider this measure at least somewhat important. Among supporters of other parties, the proportion is much higher, around four out of five.

On the other hand, even the supporters of the Finns Party are not in agreement with the National Coalition Party when it comes to supporting housing: 27% of them and 24-37% of those who voted for other parties or did not vote consider it very important. Support for housing was rated as at least important by almost three out of four of those who voted for the Finns Party. Slightly more of those who voted for parties other than the National Coalition Party consider supporting housing to be at least important (63%).

Regardless of party affiliation, the majority considers supporting families with children important

It seems, therefore, that supporters of the current main governing parties, on the one hand, disagree with each other on how successful the government has been in supporting families, and on the importance of various family policy measures or reforms targeting families with children. On the other hand, the differences of opinion on the individual measures examined are mainly smaller between those who voted for the National Coalition Party and the Finns Party than between those who voted for the other parties. Those who voted for the Finns Party are less likely than others to consider flexibility in working life important, and those who voted for the National Coalition Party are the ones closest to the Finns Party on these issues.

Those who voted for the National Coalition Party are less likely to attach importance to supporting poor families with children, and those who voted for the Finns Party support the Coalition Party on the issue of a separate 200€ child benefit. On the other hand, on the question of housing support, those who voted for the Finns Party are in line with the other parties’ voters, and those who voted for the National Coalition Party are less likely to attach importance to this measure.

However, the figures show not only differences but also similarities. Regardless of which party they voted for in the 2019 Parliamentary elections, the majority of Finns consider the above measures at least somewhat important. Flexibility in working life is considered important by a large majority, around 75-90%. Subsidies for poor families with children are considered at least somewhat important by around 60-80% of respondents.