Attitudes towards nuclear power have been the most important stimulating and dividing factor in the Finnish energy debate for a long time. It is the clearest issue in the realignment of the front lines in energy policy and stands behind all opinions one way or another. In practice, the other energy options and their pros and cons, as well as the development of the entire electricity generation system, are always assessed in relation to the nuclear power alternative. This deliberation took the form of an open antithesis in the Finnish Parliament's decision on nuclear power in 2002, both in the debate leading up to the decision, and in the final vote, which resulted in a 107-92 split and a narrow victory for the form's supporters.

2.1. Further construction of nuclear power plants

The survey has followed the general attitudes but also specifically the attitudes towards further construction of nuclear power plants. The question asked in the form of the statement 'A fifth nuclear power plant should be built in Finland' has been included in all surveys since 1984. The long duration of this energy policy trench warfare is evident in the fact that this question has kept its relevance for more than twenty years. When the question was first drawn up, it was not thought that it would still be topical in the new millennium. This question will become outdated only when the fifth nuclear power plant is completed.

The number of people in favour of the fifth nuclear power plant is now considerably greater (43%) than the number of people rejecting it (36%). The current distribution is practically equal to that of the previous year (43%/35%), and it is also close to the level of the five previous years. However, the diagram shows that the two latest surveys are clearly more reserved than the two preceding surveys. The results mentioned above represented the most sympathetic attitude towards nuclear power in the entire follow-up period and a clear differentiation from the previous sceptical attitude that held for a considerable time. The only larger shift in the time series occurred in 1986 when the Chernobyl accident resulted in a collapse in the rising positive attitudes towards nuclear power in Finland. No single survey before 2003 showed a distribution indicating greater support for acceptance than for rejection. The last six results deviate visibly from the general trend in the time series [Figure 3.].