What are the goals for our own money here in the Nordics? Do we think alike? Do we dream of the same things? The simple answer is no, but we do have some fundamental things in common.
In general, we are pretty optimistic about our future economy here in the Nordics. We now rank it at 4.9 on a scale from 1 to 7 – a number that has risen from 3.9 back in 2023. Most optimistic are people in Denmark and Sweden, but the differences are small. Finland stands out as the least optimistic country. On the other hand, Finland is the country where people have the most clearly defined goals for their economy.
These results come from our survey the Nordic Pulse where we twice a year ask people in all four countries to rank their goals, dreams and aspirations – a way to take the pulse of how societies align with values during times of economic change.
We asked the people in the Nordics how they feel about their economic situation and the choices they make right now. Here is what they answered.
See the survey
The survey also shows another thing we have in common – our views about how important sustainability is. Although Denmark and Norway rank this as less important than the other countries across all years, the trend has been upwards since 2023. In general, we have ranked this from a 4.5 to 5.1. During this time, it has always been women who thinks it is more important than men, across all countries. Worth noting is also that the trend of rising importance broke in 2025. In 2025 Norway, Denmark and Sweden no longer rank this as increasingly important. Finland stands out as the country that continues to rank this higher and higher.
When it comes to dreams – here is what people in the Nordics dream most about:
– the Norwegians dream about travel. They are also the one country dreaming most about having experiences with family, grandchildren and friends. In Norway people also dream the most about being able to support their children or grandchildren financially in the future.
– in this country people also dream about travels and experiences, just like Norway. But this country also stands out as the one where most people, although a small number, are not saving at all and as the one country that thinks it is least important to save for a buffer. They are also the one country in the Nordics where most dream about buying a new car.
– saving for a buffer stands out as the top goal in Finland, after that comes paying their mortgage. Finland is also the one country that – more than the others – ticks the box of not having enough to be able to save at all. Although the number is small, it is significant in comparison to the others.
– this country stands as the one that dreams the most about retiring early. In this country, young people also really stand out for dreaming about having enough to be able to buy their own home. This country is also the country where most dream about buying a summer home.
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