Study title

Finnish Local Government 2004: Municipal Elections 1996

Dataset ID Number

FSD1206

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD1206
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd1206

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Ståhlberg, Krister (Åbo Akademi University. Department of Public Administration)
• Pikkala, Sari (Åbo Akademi University. Department of Public Administration)
• Kuitunen, Soile (University of Turku. Department of Political Science)

Abstract

The survey studied municipal election candidates, their motivation, views on the role and tasks of councillors and views on municipal services. Party membership and elected offices held by the candidate were charted. The respondents were asked who their supporters were and what the supporters' impact on their decision to become a candidate had been. The respondents evaluated how the party or the constituency association had acted in the nomination process. Willingness to be a candidate of some other party was surveyed.

The importance of various characteristics in council work (e.g. co-operation or language skills, long experience in politics) was rated. The respondents were asked to what degree they accepted fellow councillors who never speak out or whose actions are contrary to their publicly stated aims etc. They were also asked to what extent they agreed with a number of statements relating to councillors' duties and tasks and municipal decision-making. The degree to which the respondents represented particular groups was investigated. In addition, the respondents evaluated how important different traits and ways of acting were in good citizenship: paying taxes honestly, obeying the law, sacrificing personal interest for the common good, respecting public property etc.

The survey carried a set of attitudinal questions pertaining to the role of women in politics. Views were also probed on how well municipal services functioned and whether the municipality should invest more or less in a particular service. The questions covered social services, health services, education and cultural services and municipal technical services. The respondents rated the importance of various actions and decisions in developing public services (user fees, quality management, services purchased from other municipalities, etc.). They also evaluated how effectively they themselves were able to influence decision-making.

Background variables included the respondent's sex, year of birth, marital status, mother tongue, education, number of children under the age of 18, employer sector, employment status, and political affiliation.

Keywords

citizenship; councillors; elected officials; elections; local government; local government elections; local government services; political power; politics; public services; women's role

Topic Classification

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

Series

Finnish Local Government 2004

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

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

Data Collector

• Åbo Akademi University. Department of Public Administration

Data Producers

• Åbo Akademi University. Department of Public Administration

Time Period Covered

1996

Collection Dates

1996-10-20 – 1997-01-31

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland, Espoo, Haukipudas, Humppila, Hämeenlinna, Iitti, Jaala, Joroinen, Kaarina, Karstula, Kemiö, Kerava, Kiikala, Kokkola, Kolari, Kotka, Kristiinankaupunki, Kuhmoinen, Lappeenranta, Leppävirta, Lieksa, Liljendal, Lumijoki, Mikkeli, Multia, Naantali, Noormarkku, Närpiö, Oulainen, Outokumpu, Padasjoki, Pieksämäki, Rural Municipality of Porvoo, Pudasjärvi, Punkaharju, Pyhäntä, Pylkönmäki, Ranua, Rääkkylä, Sonkajärvi, Suolahti, Tyrnävä, Vaasa, Vahto, Varkaus, Vehkalahti, Vimpeli, Virrat

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

Municipal election candidates (local council candidates) in Finland

Time Method

Longitudinal: Trend/Repeated cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Mixed probability and non-probability

Two-stage stratified sampling in selecting project municipalities. Total study of election candidates in project municipalities.

The project municipalities were selected separately from those with less than 10,000 inhabitants (28 municipalities) and from those with more than 10,000 inhabitants (19 municipalities). The selection aimed to be representative within both groups in relation to all municipalities with the same population size. Large municipalities were over-represented because 70% of the Finnish population lives in large municipalities. Representativeness criteria included regional location, age and education of the population, industry structure, municipal economy parameters, political situation and variables related to municipal policy. The selected municipalities form a small scale model of all Finnish municipalities. The Åland Islands municipalities were excluded because of special features caused by their autonomy.

The sample consisted of 5,713 persons that stood as candidates in the project municipalities. The total of 3,713 responses were obtained. Information on the candidates was collected in several stages. The lists of candidates, including information such as names and social security numbers, were obtained from the central election committees before the election day. The social security numbers enabled searching the data from the national candidate register supplied by TT Information Service, and the information obtained from that register included the candidate's occupation, age, address, and the body which had put up the candidate. Combining the national candidate register and municipal candidate files was conducted successfully , with the exception of some dozens of persons, whose addresses were then obtained from telephone directories. After the actual survey, a reminder card was sent. The candidates who still did not respond received a reminder letter with the questionnaire. The final reminder letter was sent to the candidates in those municipalities where the response rate was considerably lower than the average.

Collection Mode

Self-administered questionnaire: Paper

Research Instrument

Structured questionnaire

Response Rate

65

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

1.0

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

Ståhlberg, Krister (Åbo Akademi University) & Pikkala, Sari (Åbo Akademi University) & Kuitunen, Soile (University of Turku): Finnish Local Government 2004: Municipal Elections 1996 [dataset]. Version 1.0 (2002-11-04). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD1206

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 Publications

Vaalit, puolueet ja ehdokkaat: tutkimus vuoden 1996 kunnallisvaaleista ja niiden ehdokasasetteluista (1999). Toim. Soile Kuitunen. Helsinki: Suomen Kuntaliitto. Acta; 105. KuntaSuomi 2004 -tutkimuksia; 15.

Kuitunen, Soile (2000). Kuntalaisesta ehdokkaaksi, ehdokkaasta valtuutetuksi: poliittinen rekrytointi vuoden 1996 kunnallisvaaleissa ja niiden ehdokasasetteluissa. Turku: Turun yliopisto. Turun yliopiston julkaisuja: sarja C: osa 157: Scripta Lingua Fennica Edita.