Tekijät

• World Values Study Group
• Social Insurance Institution of Finland
• Church Research Institute
• TNS Gallup Finland
• University of Tampere. Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Asiasanat

citizen participation, development aid (international), environmental conservation, ethnic groups, families, happiness, health status, immigration, interpersonal trust, labour and employment, life styles, marriage, moral values, political attitudes, political participation, poverty, prejudice, religious affiliation, religious behaviour, trust, trust in government, values, voting behaviour

Sisällön kuvaus

World Values Survey 2005: Finnish Data studies the respondents' values, attitudes and situation in life with various questions. The data include an oversample of Swedish-speaking population.

The respondents rated the importance of various domains in life (e.g. family, work, leisure time). Views were probed on happiness, objectives, satisfaction with life, and whether the respondents felt that they have completely free choice and control over their lives. The survey also investigated whether the respondents belonged to any voluntary organisations or communities. In relation to prejudices against different groups with various characteristics, the respondents were asked which groups they would not like to have as neighbours (e.g. people of a different race, drug addicts, immigrants, sexual minorities). Further questions covered general trust or mistrust of people.

There were several questions relating to working life in the survey. One theme pertained to which aspects the respondents would consider to be important if they were looking for a job (e.g. a good income, safety in the workplace). The respondents were asked whether they agreed with statements relating to work and working life. The respondents were also asked whether it is justifiable to favour Finns or men for employees when jobs are scarce.

Several questions focused on family, home, marriage, and having and raising children. Further questions charted religious behaviour, beliefs, and whether the respondents belonged to any religious denominations. The respondents were asked to assess the aims of Finnish society and potential future changes in lifestyle. They considered different global problems and objectives to find solutions to them. The respondents' political action was covered by asking, among other things, if they had participated in peaceful demonstrations. Confidence in various institutions in society was examined. The respondents were also asked to assess different political systems and characteristics of democracy.

Political inclinations were surveyed, for instance, by asking the respondents to place themselves on the left-right axis and by asking them about voting behaviour. Opinions were also probed on the responsibilities of the individual vs. the responsibilities of the government, competition, science, technology, income disparity, attitudes towards euthanasia, cheating on taxes, accepting a bribe, Finnishness, foreign aid, immigration, and ethnic diversity. The use of computer and different sources of information were investigated as well.

The face-to-face interview was followed by a self-completed questionnaire. Finnish conceptions of Swedes were investigated. Firstly, the questionnaire covered the respondents' knowledge of, among others, Swedish population, current and former prime ministers, authors, composers, athletes, and how Sweden fared in the UN's international comparisons measuring standard of living and equality between men and women. Further questions covered the respondents' trips to Sweden and whether they had any Swedish acquaintances. The respondents' opinions on, among others, cooperation between Sweden and Finland regarding culture, politics and economy were charted, as well as their views on Swedish institutions and the characteristics and self-image of Swedes. Finally, the questionnaire examined the attitudes that the respondents, their relatives, and the whole Finnish population have towards Swedes.

Background variables included, among others, the respondent's gender, year of birth, marital status, number of children, educational level, main occupation, duration of the possible unemployment, province of residence, type of neighbourhood, household income, and whether or not R lives with his/her parents.