More than 90% of men who donate blood find it very easy to do

Of the male donors who responded to the survey, 82% assessed donation as very easy with a rating of 10 or 9 on a scale of 1 to 10. A grade of 8–10 was given by more than 90% of the respondents. The average rating of the responses was 9.2.

In a survey commissioned by Finnish Blood Service and conducted by Taloustutkimus in spring 2022, the main reasons for men not donating blood included not getting around to it and a lack of interest.

“The survey results reveal an interesting contradiction: if donating blood is not already familiar to men, it can feel challenging or troublesome to many of them. However, the vast majority of men who have donated blood before find it easy,” says Liisa Romo, Customer Manager at Blood Service.

There is a need for more new blood donors, especially male donors. Currently, men make up less than half of all blood donors, even though they would be able to donate more frequently than women.

The encouragement of a person’s loved ones was the most common reason for starting donating blood

For men who have donated blood, the example and encouragement of those around them were the most common reasons for starting blood donation. It was a reason mentioned by 40% of the respondents who answered this question.

The reason that was next on the list of important reasons was the desire to help, which was mentioned by 23% of the respondents. Of the respondents, 19% had donated blood for the first time at a blood donation event held during their time in the army, in the garrison.

Helping and the importance of donating blood are also important reasons why men return to donate blood again.

“Knowing that you can help up to three patients with your own contribution will make blood donors feel good for a long time. If you haven’t donated blood before, you should come and try it!” Romo encourages.

Blood can be donated all around Finland

The Blood Service arranges blood donation events around the country. Blood can also be donated at any of the Blood Service’s ten permanent centres across the country. Find your closest blood donation site in the calendar on the Blood Service website.

You can book a blood donation appointment here. You can also visit a blood donation site without booking an appointment and ask if there are available appointments.

You can check your blood donation eligibility with a quick Can I Donate -test.

Information about surveys

The survey on men as blood donors was conducted between 16 and 30 May 2022, and survey responses were provided by 579 men who had gone to donate blood within approximately two weeks prior to the survey.

Commissioned by the Blood Service, Taloustutkimus conducted the survey between 30 March to 12 April 2022. Responses were provided by 1,000 men and 570 women.