Tekijät

• Advisory Council for Youth Affairs (Nuora)
• Finnish Youth Research Society. Finnish Youth Research Network

Asiasanat

adolescents, alcoholism, education, family life, hobbies, interpersonal communication, leisure time, politics, travel

Sisällön kuvaus

The survey charted the leisure time of young people, its amount and meaningfulness from the viewpoint of 10-29-year-olds (n=1,201). Young people's experiences on whether they were able to influence their leisure time possibilities were also surveyed.

First, the respondents were presented with questions on their education and employment situation and financial situation at home. They were asked whether they belonged to various groups or gangs, whether they represented a certain youth culture, and whether they experienced the line between work and leisure as blurred. Those who lived with their parents were asked how much they felt they could influence for example their curfew, time spent with friends, common family purchases, and their own hobbies. Participating in various clubs, organisations and hobbies was investigated by asking the respondents how long they had been involved in the activities in question, whether they belonged to any boards or organs, whether they participated in planning the activities, and whether they believed they would still be in after two years. In addition, they were asked whether they participated in activities not taking place within any club or organisation or in activities not arranged by any club or organisation.

Attitudes towards leisure time activities were probed by asking the respondents whether there should be separate activities for girls and boys, whether they considered organisational activities old-fashioned, whether their parents allowed them to participate in the activities, whether they had enough money for participation, and whether they felt they were able to influence the leisure time activities arranged in their municipality of residence. Political activity was charted by asking the respondents to place their household and themselves on the left-right axis. Further questions pertained to alcohol and cannabis use. Finally, the respondents were asked about being in contact with friends and family members, their satisfaction with leisure time, life and health, and with whom they talked about difficult issues.

Background variables included the respondent's age, gender, mother tongue and education.