Authors

• Arter, David (University of Aberdeen. Department of Politics and International Relations)
• Widfeldt, Anders (University of Aberdeen. Department of Politics and International Relations)

Keywords

constituencies, election campaigns, election funding, elections, parliamentary candidates, parliamentary elections, voting

Abstract

The survey charted parliamentary elections from the point of view of candidates, and it is part of the international Comparative Candidates Survey (CCS). Questions investigated for example election campaigns.

First, the respondents were asked in which year(s) they had stood as candidates for parliament and in which year(s) they had been elected to parliament. They were also asked whether they had been employed in the office of an MP or a government minister before becoming a parliamentary candidate. Membership in various organisations was also queried.

Some questions canvassed the time spent on campaign work and the importance of various campaign instruments (e.g. posters, ads, surgery time, public gatherings and events). The respondents were asked to place themselves on a scale according to whether they aimed at attracting as much attention as possible for them as a candidate or for their party. They were also asked to indicate whether they had raised any issues specific to their electoral district during the campaign. In addition, Internet use in campaigning was surveyed, as well as issues emphasised during the campaign. The number of people in the candidates' campaign team was queried, as well as use of professional consultants, campaign budget, and sources of funding. The respondents also expressed their views on how they had evaluated their chances of being elected in the beginning of the campaign. Finally, the respondents' satisfaction with the way democracy works in Finland was probed, and they told their views on whom an elected member of parliament should primarily represent.

Background variables included the respondent's gender, year of birth, electoral district, and political party preference.