34% Finns optimistic about children’s future: OAJ survey

Only one in three (34%) of the people living in Finland is optimistic about the future of children and young people, according to a survey commissioned by the teachers' union (Opetusalan Ammattijärjestö- OAJ).

The survey results released on Wednesday, however, showed that a clear majority (77%) respondents trust in the ability of early childhood education centres, schools and educational institutions to build a better future.

According to the survey, there are currently many concerns about the everyday lives of children and young people.

The top concerns are excessive screen time (77%), mental health (73%), bullying (64%), the state of the public finances (64%), employment opportunities after studies (62%), and the quality of resources of education (62%).

When the respondents were asked what concerns them in the everyday lives of children and young people 10 years from now, the order changed slightly. Bullying fell further from the top in the order of concerns, while the quality and resources of education rose higher.

The survey also delved into concerns about the education system in more detail. Eight out of ten (81%) are concerned about the deterioration of basic skills and the decline in learning outcomes. Seven out of ten are concerned about the level of funding and cuts in education (71%) and about the level of requirements being too low (73%), meaning that students can progress on their learning path without sufficient competence.

The reduction of special classes and small teaching groups (68%), excessively large group sizes (66%) and excessive workload and coping skills of teachers (66%) also rank among the top educational concerns.

“OAJ is particularly concerned about the future of children, young people and the whole of Finland. That is why we wanted to use a broad survey to find out what kind of concerns people living in Finland have about the everyday life of children and young people, what kind of solutions would bring hope for a better future, and what they think about education. It is great that people in Finland trust in the ability of education to build a better future,” said OAJ President Katarina Murto in a press release.

The survey conducted by conducted by Taloustutkimus in November-December, 2025, in which 2,093 people living in Finland shared their thoughts on the everyday life and future of children and young people, as well as the education system .

The margin error of the survey is a maximum of 2.2 percentage points in either direction.