Fennovoima’s opinion poll results show that support for the Hanhikivi 1 project has reached a new record. The project has a historically high 74 percent support in the plant site location Pyhäjoki and its surrounding municipalities.
The Hanhikivi 1 project has received the highest score in its history in the latest opinion poll. According to the survey, 77.4 percent of Pyhäjoki residents support the project. In the entire study area 74 percent of the residents have a positive view of the project.
Joachim Specht, CEO of Fennovoima, estimates that the strong local support for the Hanhikivi 1 project reflects the positive attitude of Finns towards nuclear power.
“Although not all Finns are in favor of nuclear power, most people have a pragmatic and realistic approach to the topic. The Hanhikivi 1 power plant has had strong local support since the beginning, and as the project has progressed, the support has only strengthened.”
Support strengthened in Pyhäjoki and the surrounding area
Support in Pyhäjoki has increased by 3.2 percentage points compared to the previous year, when the Hanhikivi 1 project was supported by 74.2 percent of local residents.
In total, 74 percent of the residents of Pyhäjoki and its neighboring municipalities Kalajoki, Merijärvi, Oulainen and Raahe have a positive attitude towards the construction of the nuclear power plant. In the entire study area, support for the project has increased by 4.9 percentage points during the year. In 2020, the support was 69.1 percent.
The previous record figures for the Hanhikivi 1 project are from 2019, when 76.5 percent of the residents of Pyhäjoki and 71.1 percent of the residents of the entire study area had a positive opinion about the construction of the nuclear power plant.
Biggest change in the number of people with a neutral opinion
Compared to 2020, opposition for the Hanhikivi 1 project has decreased by 3.3 percentage points in Pyhäjoki and 1.1 percentage points in the entire study area.
The biggest change has taken place in the number of people with a neutral view, which has decreased by 3.9 percentage points across the study area.
“It appears that some of the respondents who used to have a neutral stance now support the construction of the Hanhikivi 1 power plant,” Specht says.
The results of Fennovoima’s opinion poll are in line with the “Opinions on Nuclear Power” survey results carried out by Finnish Energy, according to which, slightly less than half (49%) of the people in Finland have a fully or at least mainly positive view on nuclear power.
Norstat Finland interviewed a total of 855 randomly selected people by phone during October-November: 388 in Pyhäjoki and 467 in the nearby areas Raahe, Merijärvi and Kalajoki. The margin of error is ±3.1 percentage points. Fennovoima has commissioned the local opinion survey from Norstat Finland since 2008.
Source: Hanhikhivi 1
