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Polaris of Enlightenment

The Nordic Times

Polaris of Enlightenment

The Nordic Times

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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/finland/faith-in-god-increases-among-finnish-15-year-olds/

Finland

Faith in God increases among Finnish 15-year-olds

Published May 16, 2025 – By Editorial staff
Between 2023 and 2024, the share of girls who believe in God increased by 13%.
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Significantly more 15-year-olds in Finland say they have a personal belief in God than before. In just five years, the proportion of young people who believe has increased significantly – and the desire to belong to the church has also strengthened, according to a new comprehensive study involving over 100,000 participants.

The study, which was published in the Finnish journal Uskonto, katsomus ja kasvatus, analyzed changes in young people's religious beliefs over time, with a particular focus on gender differences. The study was conducted by researchers at Diakonia University of Applied Sciences and the University of Eastern Finland. It is based on survey data collected from over 100,000 young people who participated in confirmation classes between 2019 and 2024. In Finland, young people usually attend confirmation classes in the year they turn 15, and according to the study, nearly three-quarters of all 15-year-olds participate in the classes. Among those belonging to the Evangelical Lutheran Church, participation is over 90 percent.

The surveys included questions about young people's religious beliefs – such as belief in God, the resurrection of Jesus, prayer habits, and willingness to belong to the church – as well as how they themselves felt that their faith and relationship with the church had been affected by the instruction.

Belief in God is increasing

The results show that girls' belief in God remained stable at around 35 to 37 percent between 2019 and 2023, but increased to as much as 50 percent in 2024, an increase of 13 percentage points in one year. At the same time, belief in the resurrection of Jesus increased from around 34 percent to 45 percent during the same period.

For boys, belief in God increased from 36 percent in 2019 to 62 percent in 2024. A similar increase was seen in boys' belief in the resurrection of Jesus, which rose from 39 percent in 2019 to 60 percent in 2024.

– Existential questions were relevant in 325 and still are in 2025, said Juha Pihkala, bishop emeritus of the Diocese of Tampere, commenting on the study to Finnish state broadcaster Yle.

Other surveys have also shown that more young Finnish adults are turning to the church.

More people want to belong to the church

The proportion of young people who want to belong to the church has also increased. Among boys, the figure rose from 52 percent in 2019 to 66 percent in 2024. For girls, the corresponding figure rose from 63 to 67 percent.

At the same time, the proportion of boys who said they were encouraged to pray during lessons rose from 43 to 59 percent. Among girls, the corresponding figure rose from 43 to 53 percent. The proportion of boys who felt that their faith had been strengthened through confirmation classes increased from 42 to 65 percent, while the proportion of girls rose from 42 to 55 percent.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/finland/more-finns-are-reporting-police-officers/

Finland

More Finns are reporting police officers

Published yesterday 12:36 pm – By Editorial staff
1 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

An increasing number of Finns are filing police reports against individual officers. Over 1,100 reports have already been filed this year – several hundred more than during all of last year.

The figures come from the Finnish newspaper group Uutissuomalainen. These are reports filed against individual police officers for suspected official misconduct, not complaints against the police authority as an organization.

Markus Laine, a police legal advisor at the Police Department in Southwest Finland, explains that the majority of reports stem from general dissatisfaction with police actions.

— It could be, for example, that someone is dissatisfied that a preliminary investigation was never initiated or that it was discontinued. It's also common for someone to feel they were wrongly detained in town, for instance when the person was under the influence, Laine tells Finnish national broadcaster Yle.

Issued fines can also sometimes result in the person fined filing a report against the police.

Despite the high number of reports, only about ten percent lead to prosecution review. Disciplinary actions such as suspension or dismissal are rare and involve only a few cases per year.

According to the Finnish Police Barometer, public trust in the police stands at 92 percent. However, certain groups deviate significantly from the average. Victims of sexual crimes or intimate partner violence, people subjected to human trafficking, and sexual minorities show considerably lower trust figures.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/finland/finlands-former-president-europe-should-speak-directly-with-putin/

Finland

Finland’s former president: Europe should speak directly with Putin

Published November 11, 2025 – By Editorial staff
Finnish former President Sauli Niinistö believes that Europe must remain European.
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Finland's former president Sauli Niinistö believes that European leaders should engage in direct talks with Moscow instead of relying solely on information from Donald Trump. He also warns that Europe is losing its role as a global power.

Niinistö criticizes the current situation where European countries lack direct contact with Russian leaders, while US President Donald Trump negotiates with Russian President Vladimir Putin about Ukraine's future. Niinistö argues that Europe should instead initiate direct talks with Russia to influence the outcome of the war.

— French President Emmanuel Macron is likely the last one to have called, and before that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz about a year ago. And he was criticized for it, Niinistö told Finnish public broadcaster Yle.

He defended Scholz's decision to contact the Kremlin and describes the current situation as absurd.

— I defended him and still think that it is in a way an absurd situation that Europeans say they won't talk to the war criminal Putin. But Trump does it, and then we go and hear what they talked about, he explained.

Niinistö points out the paradox that Europeans are simultaneously worried that Putin and Trump will discuss Europe's future over the heads of the European countries themselves.

Europe has lost its global position

Furthermore, Niinistö notes that Europe's significance has decreased markedly during the 21st century. Today, it is primarily the US, China, and Russia that make the decisive decisions on the global stage.

When Finland joined the EU in the 1990s, the union was a voice that the world listened to. The situation was similar even after the turn of the millennium. Now, however, Europe has disappeared from the power quadrangle, according to Niinistö. He particularly points to how the US and China compete economically and divide the world between them in what he describes as a struggle for nations' loyalty.

— Europe must keep Europe European and must absolutely not submit to becoming an object of division, so that someone belongs to one camp and someone else to another, he says.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/finland/finland-introduces-employment-requirement-for-citizenship/

Finland

Finland introduces employment requirement for citizenship

Published November 5, 2025 – By Editorial staff
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

From December, those who rely solely on unemployment benefits or income support will no longer be able to obtain Finnish citizenship. During a two-year period, applicants may receive benefits for a maximum of three months.

The second phase of Finland's citizenship law reform now takes effect in December. The change means that citizenship can no longer be granted to people who support themselves solely through unemployment benefits or income support, i.e., social assistance, from Kela (the Social Insurance Institution of Finland).

— Successful integration, employment, and respect for Finnish society's rules are conditions that must be met to be granted citizenship, says Finnish Interior Minister Mari Rantanen in a press release.

In addition to the income requirement, the changes mean that those who do not actively contribute to establishing their identity cannot be granted citizenship. The conditions for loss of citizenship have also been tightened.

In practice, applicants must be able to support themselves financially without benefits for two years before they can begin the application process.

Strongly pushed the issue

During government negotiations, many parties agreed that the tightening was needed, and a majority of the current government strongly pushed the issue. However, the Swedish People's Party of Finland attempted to bring it down to a "reasonable level".

— This was politically an issue that the majority of the government very strongly pushed for, and where SFP tried as best we could to get it to a reasonable level somehow. But we were quite alone in that view, says Member of Parliament Sandra Bergqvist to Finnish national broadcaster Yle.

The tightening only applies to people of working age. The requirement for secure income does not apply to applicants under 18 years or people over 65 years.

For children, the law can still cause problems indirectly, since children usually apply for citizenship together with their guardian. If the guardian does not meet the income requirement, the child's application may also be rejected.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/finland/finnish-region-loses-millions-in-revenue-after-border-closure-with-russia/

Finland

Finnish region loses millions in revenue after border closure with Russia

The new cold war

Published November 5, 2025 – By Editorial staff
The border crossing between Russia (Svetogorsk) and Finland (Imatra)
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The Finnish region of South Karelia has been severely impacted economically since Finland closed its border with Russia at the end of 2023. Tourism revenue has decreased by approximately one million euros per day, and hotels, restaurants and shops stand empty.

South Karelia is located closer to St. Petersburg than to Helsinki, the Finnish capital, and has maintained extensive economic ties with Russia for decades.

The region's economy has been built on cross-border tourism, shopping, timber trade and local jobs within the forest industry.

Finland's decision to close the 1,430-kilometer land border with Russia was motivated by accusations that Moscow had deliberately created an increased migrant flow from Africa and the Middle East to Finland. Moscow has in turn dismissed the accusations as "completely groundless".

Impact on local businesses

Hotels, restaurants and shops in the region now stand largely empty, reports Bloomberg.

– Russian customers asked why we couldn’t stay open around the clock. They bought clothes in stacks – mostly the latest fashion and bling, but even winter coats were sold out by August, says Sari Tukiainen, who runs a shop in Imatra, a Finnish border town.

Due to decreased sales, Tukiainen plans to close the shop at the end of the year. Unemployment in Imatra has simultaneously risen to 15 percent, the highest in Finland, as factories and steel mills have reduced their workforce.

Historically, Finland has had a complex relationship with Russia. The country was part of the Russian Empire for over a century, and despite two wars with the Soviet Union during World War II, a friendly relationship was maintained during the Cold War.

After the war in Ukraine escalated in 2022, Finland was early to impose sanctions against Moscow. The country also abandoned its long-standing neutrality by joining the US-led military alliance NATO, a step that has further changed the economic and political dynamics in the region.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com