Authors

• Rouhiainen, Vesa (University of Helsinki. Institute for Rural Research and Training, Mikkeli)

Keywords

future, image, personality traits, regional differences, rural areas, rural development, rural population, urban areas, urban population

Abstract

The survey studied Finnish images of the countryside and the rural population and examined the differences between rural and urban areas. The respondents were asked whether they agreed or disagreed with various statements about rural life; they also named which characteristics form a part of the Finnish rural landscape at the time of the survey and which characteristics they hoped would be a part of it in 20 years. Characteristics and typical hobbies of persons living in rural and urban areas were analyzed. The respondents were asked what they thought about statements related to rural development and future.

Background variables included sex, age, marital status, number of children, number of inhabitants in the municipality, province, place of birth of the respondent and his/her parents, the amount of time the respondent had lived in his/her present municipality, type of accommodation, type of region (urban or rural), basic and vocational education, occupational group, sector of occupation, monthly gross income, trade union membership and political beliefs.