According to the new Youth Barometer, only just over a fifth of young people living in Finland are religious, yet the majority of them accept the presence of religion and other belief systems in educational institutions. Two thirds of young people think it is appropriate, for example, to sing the religious hymn “Suvivirsi” at a joint spring festival. Traditionally sung at the end of the school year in Finnish schools, Suvivirsi is a long-standing tradition which has been up for banning due to its religious lyrics and confessional nature. Similarly, two thirds agreed with the statement that pupils should be supported at school in forming their own views (religious or non-religious). Only a minority, one out of eight young people, think that religion should not be displayed in schools at all.
“The results of the Youth Barometer show that young people are open to different religions and their representatives. Understanding and respecting other people are things that the older generation could also learn from,” said Ida Leino, Chair of the State Youth Council (Visit an external site. The link opens in a new tab.).
The information comes from the 2023 Youth Barometer, which was published on 21 May on the theme of beliefs and spirituality.
Changes in the religiousness of young Finns in the 21st century
In the 2006 Youth Barometer, 41% of young people in Finland still considered themselves religious. In the current Youth Barometer 2023, the figure is 22%. Sixty per cent of respondents considered themselves non-religious. 6% of respondents considered themselves non-religious but spiritual.
The proportion of respondents who considered themselves very religious was 10%. A similar proportion of young people said they prayed daily. For the majority of young people, religion is not visible in their daily lives. 63% of respondents said that they attend religious services less than once a year, except for weddings, funerals, christenings or during school hours.
“The results of the Youth Barometer show an increasing diversity of beliefs. The vast majority of young people are non-religious, but at the same time it is important for young people to be able to express their views in public,” says Tomi Kiilakoski, Senior Researcher at the Finnish Youth Research Society.
High level of attachment to Finnish society
In addition to the annually changing theme, the Youth Barometers examine a number of persistent trends related to values, attitudes and, for example, well-being. Young people’s satisfaction with life is on a slight downward trend compared to the years before the pandemic. However, a clear majority of young people felt that their lives were meaningful and that they had a sense of worth. More than nine out of ten young people agreed at least somewhat with the statement that they feel able to live according to their values. The proportion of young people who are both very attached (36%) and at least fairly attached (81%) to Finnish society was the second highest in the history of the Youth Barometer survey.
On the other hand, the recent Youth Barometer data, according to which young people are forced to limit their social relationships, for example because of their financial situation, are worrying. Half of those aged 20-29 say they have had to stop buying necessities because of a lack of money, and more than a third have not met their friends for the same reason.
“The financial situation is an important predictor of young people’s life satisfaction and well-being. With the current austerity policy, there is a need to monitor young people’s well-being and changes in it even more closely than before,” says Konsta Happonen, statistician at the Finnish Youth Research Society.
Publication details
Tomi Kiilakoski (ed.) Building blocks of worldviews. Youth Barometer 2023. ISBN 978-952-372-061-9 (printed), 978-952-372-062-6 (PDF). Finnish Youth Research Society publications 250, online publications 187. ISSN 1799-9219 (printed), 1799-9227 (PDF). State Youth Council publications 76, ISSN 2489-9461 (printed), 2489-947X (PDF). 2024, 258 pages, 30 euros.
The publication is only available in Finnish.
The online version of the Youth Barometer (in Finnish) is available free of charge on the website of the State Youth Council.
Infographics
See also the infographics summarising the results of the Youth Barometer 2023.
More information on the Youth Barometer
The Youth Barometer is an annual survey carried out since 1994, examining the values and attitudes of young people aged 15-29 living in Finland. It has been monitoring young people’s values and experiences for 30 years. The Youth Barometer has a different theme each year, but some of the questions are repeated in the same way from year to year, which makes it possible to monitor changes and identify trends over time. In addition to the constant core themes of work and education, the long-standing themes that have been monitored include social participation, housing, the future, social life, and satisfaction with life and its various aspects. The Youth Barometer is published in cooperation between the Finnish Youth Research Society and the State Youth Council.
The Youth Barometer 2023 was conducted through a combination of telephone interviews and online data collection. A total of 1002 respondents answered by phone. In addition, 648 respondents responded online and 82 respondents participated in the telephone interview offered as an alternative to the online questionnaire. The combination of the two surveys was carried out for the first time in the history of the Youth Barometer.
