Study title

Voice of the Inhabitants 2007

Dataset ID Number

FSD2295

Persistent identifier

urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD2295

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Ekholm, Peter (Think Tank e2)
• Jutila, Karina (Think Tank e2)
• Kiljunen, Pentti (Yhdyskuntatutkimus)

Abstract

The survey focused on studying the possible causes of the declining voter turnout in municipal elections (local government elections) in Finland. First, the respondents were asked how interested they were in local affairs and local government policies, how actively did they follow local affairs and decision-making, and how well they knew what was happening. The respondents were also asked to grade their municipality of residence from different viewpoints (e.g. finances, services, employment situation, local democracy, citizen participation and influence). One question surveyed how much real power certain bodies, e.g. the mayor/municipal manager, top officials, municipal board, banks, trade unions, have in the municipality. Further questions covered information sources on local affairs and decision-making, and the sufficiency and quality of information received.

The respondents were asked to evaluate how effective certain ways of trying to influence decision-making were (e.g. voting in municipal elections, inhabitant surveys, local referendums, peaceful demonstrations, signing petitions, direct contacts to decision-makers). The respondents were also asked whether they felt they could influence decisions affecting their neighbourhood, municipality, Finland or the EU. Opinions on the causes of the decline in turnout were charted. Causes mentioned included distrust of politics and parties, protest against current policies, feeling that voting has no impact on policies, lack of choice because parties too similar etc. The respondents were asked whether they were stable or volatile voters, whether they had voted in the last Finnish parliamentary elections, local government elections, and European Parliament elections, and whether there had been changes in their voting activity.

Further questions covered the respondents' participation in civil and voluntary organisations and in local affairs. Opinions were probed on whether Internet voting would influence turnout, and which factors might increase or decrease citizen participation in local government. The respondents were also asked whether they held or had held any elected offices and to what extent they agreed with a number of statements relating to political parties and local government politics.

Background variables included the respondent's gender, age group, number of inhabitants in the municipality, region of residence (NUTS3), basic and vocational education, type of neighbourhood, economic activity and occupational status, and what political party R would vote for if the Finnish parliamentary elections were held at that time.

Keywords

citizen participation; local government; local government elections; party identification; political awareness; political influence; political interest; voting

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Political behaviour and attitudes (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Elections (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

Individual datasets

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

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

Data Collector

• Kiljunen, Pentti (Yhdyskuntatutkimus)

Data Producers

• Think Tank e2

Time Period Covered

2007

Collection Dates

2007-05-18 – 2007-07-05

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

People aged 18-70 living in Finland (excluding the Åland Islands)

Time Method

Cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Probability: Simple random

The sample of 2500 persons was drawn from Finland's population register.

Collection Mode

Self-administered questionnaire: Paper

Research Instrument

Structured questionnaire

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

2.0

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

An open-ended question asking for comments has been removed from the data. The data do not include the responses to the open-ended question q23.

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

Ekholm, Peter (Think Tank e2) & Jutila, Karina (Think Tank e2) & Kiljunen, Pentti (Yhdyskuntatutkimus): Voice of the Inhabitants 2007 [dataset]. Version 2.0 (2018-07-12). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD2295

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 Materials

Ekholm, Peter & Jutila, Karina & Kiljunen, Pentti (2007). Kuullaanko kuntalaista -tutkimus 2007. Helsinki : Ajatuspaja e2. Raportti.

Related Publications

Ekholm, Peter & Jutila, Karina & Kiljunen, Pentti (2007). Kuullaanko kuntalaista -tutkimus 2007. Helsinki: Ajatuspaja e2. Raportti.