While Finns' trust in science remains strong, the number of skeptics is growing, according to a new poll on public attitudes towards science and technology in Finland, published by the Finnish Society for Scientific Information.
"People worry science and technology are changing the way of life too rapidly," said communications professor Esa Väliverronen of Helsinki University.
The popularity of non-scientific treatments and beliefs has increased somewhat since 2019, including growing interest in folk healers and homeopathy, according to the poll, dubbed the Finnish science barometer.
People have become more accepting of alternative treatments alongside traditional medicine — a development Väliverronen partly attributed to the major crises of recent years and general uncertainty.
"There is also a fear that science and technology will change society and its values in too liberal a direction," Väliverronen explained.
This time, the science barometer homed in on issues related to artificial intelligence, finding that Finns are cautiously optimistic about AI.
A slightly greater proportion of the population takes a positive — rather than negative — view of AI. Men tended to have a more favourable attitude toward artificial intelligence than women. High-income earners in leadership roles were the most optimistic.
When it comes to using AI, those polled were most positively inclined towards facial recognition applications in crime prevention and border control, as well as customer service chatbots.
"The most negative uses were linked to autonomous weapons, followed closely by robots and the use of AI in journalism," Väliverronen added.
When it comes to societal institutions, the poll found that trust in the defence forces, police and universities has remained relatively stable.
"Trust in parliament, political parties, the EU and the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church is declining," he said.
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