HELSINKI, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Finns' views of the United States have turned markedly more negative, according to a survey commissioned by the Finnish Business and Policy Forum EVA, published on Saturday.

Some 73 percent of respondents described the United States as "unstable and unpredictable," up from 35 percent in EVA's previous published survey released in 2024.

Perceptions of Washington as an assertive power have also hardened. In the latest poll, 51 percent described the United States as an "expansionist power," compared with 24 percent previously. EVA said the shift was exceptionally large and suggested the United States is increasingly seen as a less predictable actor in global politics.

Nearly half of those surveyed said U.S. President Donald Trump has in a short time shifted the country from being "a friend of Europe" to "an enemy." The share holding that view was 49 percent.

The poll also pointed to critical views of U.S. domestic conditions. A majority of respondents, 56 percent, cited inequality and large income gaps as defining features of American society, while 48 percent said the country is plagued by internal conflicts.

The survey was conducted in October 2025 among more than 2,000 respondents aged 18 to 79. EVA said the margin of error was 2-3 percentage points.

Sami Metelinen, EVA's managing editor and the author of the accompanying analysis, said the shift was already visible in preliminary data collected in October 2025, before later headlines in early 2026, including U.S. military action in Venezuela and Trump's remarks about acquiring Greenland. The findings point to a broader decline in trust rather than a short-term reaction to any single event, he said.

EVA, the Finnish Business and Policy Forum, is a Helsinki-based policy think tank backed by Finnish business interests that regularly commissions public opinion surveys on foreign and domestic issues. ■