In views about future need of energy/electricity, there is an exceptionally clear projection of the development of economic and social circumstances. The recession period made the visions of growth gloomier each year, so that the overall change from the peak years of consumption at the end of the 80s to the deepest recession in 1993 is almost dramatic.

In 1994, the measurements showed a quick restoration of faith in growth, and this faith has not changed during the past few years. Today, two out of three persons (68%) assume that the need of electricity will be considerably greater in future than it is today [figure 14.].

The same trend can be seen, in reverse, in the environmental attitudes. The preparedness in principle to compromise over one’s own standard of living to decrease the environmental impacts and risks resulting from energy generation has shown a trend of dying away during the past few years. The most recent measurement shows that this trend is now discontinued. Against the background of the rest of the information received in the study, it is not sensible to interpret this declining trend of the previous years to be an indication of a decrease in appreciation of the environment. It is more of an indication of a decrease in concern about the environment; today people do not feel that the environment would be threatened to the same extent as before [figure 15.].

Even though, as we know, the public is very critical in environmental issues – especially when judging activities of business enterprises – its view of power companies as environmental players is relatively positive. A little more than every second person (52%) considers that companies in the energy sector in Finland act in a responsible way in environmental issues. Rather than weakening, this attitude has become more general in the past few years (16%) [figure 16.].