Decision making in energy issues is felt to be distant and the decision makers are considered to be unreliable, in the same way as before. Citizens feel that their chances of participating and influencing the decision making in energy issues are minor, and almost two thirds of people (66%) consider that citizens’ opinions have not been sufficiently heard in energy solutions. This opinion has been dominating throughout the follow-up period of the whole study [figure 20.].

Although a number of politicians have already buried the building of additional nuclear power, citizens do not believe in this. Somewhat more than every second person (56%) assumes that the politicians’ will change their opinion about nuclear power, and additional nuclear power plants will be built in Finland. Only a minority of people (16%) disagrees about this. Concern/desire about a change in the situation can probably be explained with distrust of political decision making in energy issues, but also with recollections of the fact that the nuclear power option – the unlucky permanent candidate in the energy game - is offered over and over again [figure 21.].

Citizens also have a great desire to participate and influence directly the decision making concerning the disposal of nuclear waste. ‘A referendum about referendum’ gives an unambiguous result: two out of three (69%) feel that the decision about final disposal of nuclear waste should be made with a referendum in municipalities and in accordance with the majority opinion. The figure is slightly higher than in the previous measurement, but almost the same as in the years before that (no figure).

The opposite suggestion, according to which Parliament should have the final word in the decision about the disposal site, is rejected without hesitation. Only every fifth of the citizens (19%) agrees with this suggestion. The portion has not changed significantly over the past few years (no figure).