Study title

Finnish Local Government Barometer 1998: Inhabitants

Dataset ID Number

FSD1104

Persistent identifier

urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD1104

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Foundation for Municipal Development

Abstract

The Local government barometer 1998 probed citizens' opinions about the different means of improving the financial state of Finnish municipalities. The respondents were asked, for example, whether they would agree to raising the tax rate, selling public property, or laying off municipal employees. In addition, they were presented with various statements regarding municipal administration and finance, public services, and the inequality of population, and asked to either agree or disagree with these statements. The respondents were also asked how they themselves would balance the economy of their home municipality. The alternatives presented in relation to school system included staff redundancies, layoffs, and loans. The respondents were asked to estimate how big a part of municipal expenses are allocated to health care, social services, school system, and general administration. Finally, they assessed which political parties offer the best means for the general public to take part in local government.

Background variables included the respondent's sex, age, basic education, vocational training, total household income, political affiliation, occupational group and economic activity, type of employment, household composition, occupational group and economic activity of the head of the household, type of neighbourhood,the municipality of residence, and the province and major region (NUTS2) of residence.

Keywords

local finance; local government; local government services; municipalities; political parties

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Government, political systems and organisations (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Political behaviour and attitudes (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

Finnish Local Government Barometers

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

The dataset is (B) available for research, teaching and study.

Data Collector

• Gallup Finland

Data Producers

• Foundation for Municipal Development

Time Period Covered

1998

Collection Dates

1998-08-19 – 1998-09-06

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

Finns aged 15 or over (excluding the Åland Islands)

Time Method

Longitudinal: Trend/Repeated cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Probability: Multistage

The sample was collected in three phases. In the first phase, the target persons were divided by province. Then, within each province, the target persons were divided according to community type: communities were grouped in different types so that cities were divided to big and small according to population size, and rural communities in three classes according to industrial structure. The choice of municipalities is representative.

In the third phase, a group of starting points were designated for each of the selected municipalities in relation to their population. Starting point method was used, and each randomly selected point resulted in six interviews. From each household the person who matched the gender and age requirements stated in the selection card was interviewed.

Collection Mode

Face-to-face interview

Research Instrument

Structured questionnaire

Data File Language

Downloaded data package may contain different language versions of the same files.

The data files of this dataset are available in the following languages: Finnish.

FSD translates quantitative data into English on request, free of charge. More information on ordering data translation.

Data Version

2.0

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

To prevent identification of respondents, variables bv10 - bv12 denoting number of children and household size were top-coded and variable bv2 denoting the respondent's age was categorised.

The variable identifying postal code has been removed from the data.

Weighting

There are no weight variables in the data.

Citation Requirement

The data and its creators shall be cited in all publications and presentations for which the data have been used. The bibliographic citation may be in the form suggested by the archive or in the form required by the publication.

Bibliographical Citation

Foundation for Municipal Development: Finnish Local Government Barometer 1998: Inhabitants [dataset]. Version 2.0 (2023-11-09). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD1104

Deposit Requirement

Notify FSD of all publications where you have used the data by sending the citation information to user-services.fsd@tuni.fi.

Disclaimer

The original data creators and the archive bear no responsibility for any results or interpretations arising from the reuse of the data.

Related Materials

Ilmapuntari 1998: kuntalaiset (1998). Espoo : Suomen Gallup.

Related Publications

Kansalaismielipide ja kunnat: ilmapuntari 1998 (1998). Helsinki: Kunnallisalan kehittämissäätiö. Polemia-sarja; 31.

Blomberg, Helena & Kroll, Christian (2003). Kuntalaiset, paikalliset päättäjät ja hyvinvointipalvelut 1990-luvulla. Teoksessa: Laman varjo ja nousun huuma (toim. Olli Kangas). Helsinki: Kansaneläkelaitos. Sosiaali- ja terveysturvan tutkimuksia; 72.

Katara, Henna-Riikka (2012). Hyvinvointivaltion kannatus ja palvelujärjestelmä. Kuntalaisten ja kunnanjohtajien mielipiteiden vertailua vuosina 1996-2006. Turku: Turun yliopisto. Sosiaalipolitiikan pro gradu -tutkielma