A survey commissioned by local government foundation (KAKS) found that less than 40 percent of eligible voters could cast ballots next month to elect regional assembly members.

Finland's health and social care providers are to be controlled by new county councils from next year. Voters go to the polls on Sunday, 23 January to elect these new bodies. Foreigners in Finland are able to vote in this election.

Check out our really simple guide to Finland's 2022 County Council elections here.

About 41 percent of people said they plan to vote in January's county council elections, according to a poll by KAKS. The organisation said voters' enthusiasm for the upcoming vote had waned since September, when 43 percent said they would turn up at polling stations.

In comparison, some 60 percent of people said they would vote in local elections staged earlier this year. But after all of the ballots were counted, only 55 percent of those eligible turned up. One study suggested that turnout in the 2021 municipal election was down among voters with lower incomes and lower education levels compared to previous elections.

In light of these numbers, KAKS said voter turnout in the upcoming healthcare election risks dropping below 40 percent.

Survey results indicate that those who are unemployed, studying or have a lower level of education are more likely to stay home on election day than other groups, like retirees who are typically eager to make their voice heard. However, while two fifths of 18-30 year-olds said they would vote, the same was only true for a quarter of those between the ages of 31 and 40.

When it comes to party affiliation, only a third of Finns Party supporters said they would vote, whereas more than half of supporters of the Left Alliance and Social Democrats said they would cast ballots.

The poll, commissioned by the Foundation for Municipal Development (KAKS), was carried out by pollster Kantar TNS, which interviewed more than 1,000 respondents between 26 November and 1 December. The margin of error is +/- 3 percentage points.