Public trust in U.S. drops sharply in Finland: survey

HELSINKI, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Public trust in the United States regarding security has plummeted in Finland, with a new survey showing that only one in six Finns now believe they can rely on the U.S.

The findings, published on Thursday, come from the latest edition of the NATOpoll research project. Last year, nearly 30 percent of respondents expressed confidence in U.S. support.

Only 25 percent of those surveyed believe that the defense cooperation agreement, signed last year between the two countries, will bring tangible benefits to Finland.

"There is deep disappointment toward the United States in Finland," said Hanna Wass, associate professor at the University of Helsinki and the project leader of the NATOpoll research.

Public support for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has also seen a decline, dropping from 83 percent last year to 76 percent.

According to NATOpoll researchers, this trend is partly driven by recent geopolitical developments.

The survey was conducted by the University of Helsinki in collaboration with five other institutions and is based on responses from 2,900 Finns. It carries a margin of error ranging between 1.8 and 2.2 percentage points.