Authors

• Rasinkangas, Jarkko (University of Turku. Department of Social Policy)
• Ritakallio, Veli-Matti (University of Turku. Department of Social Policy)

Keywords

expenditure, happiness, health status, housing, income, interpersonal relations, leisure time activities, living conditions, local government services, personal finance management, quality of life, social interaction, social networks, standard of living, unemployment, values

Abstract

The survey charts the welfare of citizens of Turku. Respondents were first asked about housing, for example, number of rooms and housing tenure. Satisfaction with the housing situation was studied with questions concerning amenities, housing costs, public transport, and access to various services (banks, shops, etc). The respondents' level of education, occupation and economic activity were examined. They were asked whether they were satisfied with their standard of living and were requested to compare it to the situation five years ago. Standard of living was studied by asking whether the respondents had had to go short of various things, such as food, health care or buying gifts. Consumer durables of the household and respondents' general health were charted.

The respondents were also asked to state their monthly income and expenses, including social security benefits and loans. Regarding social relations and networks, the respondents were asked whether they had someone with whom they were able to discuss in confidence and how many good friends they had. The respondents were also asked how often they saw people important to them, how satisified they were with the number of friends they had, and what kind of possibilities of making new acquaintances they had.

Some questions focused on leisure time activities and membership in different organisations. The respondents were asked whether they had used municipal services, such as child day care and family counselling. Experiences of life-changing events (e.g. divorce or retirement) and satisfaction with various matters (e.g. possibilities of success and social influence) were surveyed. The respondents were also presented with a set of attitudinal questions pertaining to happiness and values.

Background variables included respondent's year of birth, gender, marital status, number of dependent children and household composition.