Authors

• Räty, Reetta (Helsingin Sanomat. Weekly supplement Nyt)

Keywords

aggressiveness, antisocial behaviour, assault, bullying, child abuse, domestic violence, domestic violence, offences, sexual abuse, sexual offences

Abstract

The data contain the structured parts of a reader survey conducted by the weekly supplement NYT of the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat. The survey studied violence in Finland and invited the participation of those readers of the NYT supplement who had sometimes behaved aggressively or violently or had been victims of such behaviour. The number of respondents was 556.

The questionnaire contained questions about what kind of violent behaviour respondents themselves had engaged in and what kind of violent behaviour they had been subjected to. Respondents were asked whether they had physically punished their children or been themselves punished as children. Violence against or by partners was surveyed. Questions also covered violent behaviour between friends, stranger violence, sexual violence and whether drugs or alcohol had contributed. Respondents were asked to choose from a list of actions which ones that they regarded as violent and which one they considered justified in certain situations. Revenge as well as regret and other possible mental consequences of violence were also charted.

Background variables included age group, sex, education/occupation and marital status.