Study title

Finnish Youth Survey Autumn 1997

Dataset ID Number

FSD2525

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD2525
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd2525

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

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

Abstract

The main themes of the Finnish Youth Survey Autumn 1997 were social participation, politics, and power. The young people responding to the survey were also asked about objects or sources of national pride and their notions of drugs and alcohol.

First, the respondents were presented with a few background questions relating for example to their education. They were also asked whether they had influenced decision-makers in society in the past five years or expressed their opinions in different ways (e.g. by participating in a public demonstration, writing a slogan on the wall of a public building, writing a letter to the editor, or by participating in occupying a building/squatting). The respondents were also asked to what extent they approved of the activities of different groups in Finland (e.g. squatters, skinheads, anarchists, and Greenpeace).

The young people were presented with a set of attitudinal statements on Finnish society. The statements probed the respondents' views on the advantageousness of the Finnish EU membership, accepting representatives of other ethnicities as colleagues, and building more nuclear power plants in Finland. In addition, the young people indicated how interested they were in politics.

The influence of social institutions on the respondents' opinions and lives was charted. The respondents were presented with a list of various institutions (e.g. parents, the press, the authorities, friends or acquaintances, and the church or religion) and asked to what extent they had affected the respondents' thoughts and opinions on politics and politicians. They were also asked to name two institutions which they considered to have affected their thoughts and opinions the most. Next, the respondents were presented with a different list of institutions (e.g. the Parliament, civic organisations, banks, educational institutions, and the President) and asked to select two which affect their lives the most through their decisions.

Attitudes towards drug and alcohol abuse were also canvassed. The young people were presented with statements on whether they considered it acceptable to use drugs, whether drug use should be allowed more broadly, and whether punishments for drug use should be reduced. The respondents' own use of drugs and alcohol was investigated. They indicated whether they had smoked cigarettes more often than once in the past six months, drunk a large amount of alcohol, or tried drugs. They were also asked whether someone had tried to sell them drugs in the past six months.

Views on the power of various institutions in society were probed. The respondents were asked how much they thought various institutions, such as political parties, the police, family, or residents'/local associations had power to influence society. In addition, they indicated the most interesting source of information (e.g. the press, the radio, the Internet, books, or CD-ROM).

Finally, the young people were queried about objects or sources of national pride. They were asked to what extent they thought Finns should be proud of various things, such as sports achievements, Finnish social security, art and music, and Finnishness.

Background variables included the respondent's age, gender, municipality of residence, and economic activity.

Keywords

adolescents; alcohol use; attitudes; illegal drugs; information sources; institutions; national identity; political influence; politics; values

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Political behaviour and attitudes (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Media (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Social behaviour and attitudes (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Drug abuse, alcohol and smoking (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

Finnish Youth Surveys

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

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

Data Collector

• Statistics Finland

Data Producers

• Advisory Council for Youth Affairs
• Finnish Youth Research Society. Finnish Youth Research Network

Time Period Covered

1997

Collection Dates

1997-08-18 – 1997-08-29

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

Finnish-speaking young people living in Finland aged 15 - 29 (excluding the Åland Islands)

Time Method

Longitudinal: Trend/Repeated cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Probability: Stratified

Finnish Youth Survey Autumn 1997 was conducted in connection with the Labour Force Survey carried out by Statistics Finland. The sample of the Labour Force Survey is drawn twice a year as a stratified random sample from the Statistics Finland population database, which is based on the central population register. Labour Force Survey is a panel study in which one person is interviewed five times. The interviews are conducted every three months apart from the fourth interview, which is conducted six months after the third interview. The first and last interviews are 15 months apart. The sample in each month consists approximately of 12,000 persons, which is, on average, every 300th person from the population. The sample consists of five rotation groups which have joined the survey in different months. The sample for the Finnish Youth Survey Autumn 1997 consisted of 1,842 Finnish-speaking young people from several rotation groups. The sample was formed by including all young people aged between 15 - 29. After removing the overcoverage, the net sample size was brought down to 1,820 persons. Altogether 1,563 interviews were received, and there were 257 non-respondents (i.e. 14%). The duration of each interview was approximately 14 minutes.

Collection Mode

Telephone interview

Research Instrument

Structured questionnaire

Response Rate

86

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

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

Advisory Council for Youth Affairs (Nuora) & Finnish Youth Research Society: Finnish Youth Survey Autumn 1997 [dataset]. Data version 2.0 (2018-07-19). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. DOI: https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd2525; URN: https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD2525

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.

Other Material

See downloadable files at the top of the page.

The quality description on the website of Statistics Finland includes information on the sample and data collection methods of the Labour Force Survey.

Related Materials

Laatuseloste: Työvoimatutkimus (2010) [verkkodokumentti]. Helsinki: Tilastokeskus. http://www.stat.fi/til/tyti/2010/04/tyti_2010_04_2010-05-25_laa_001_fi.html [viitattu 22.6.2010].

Related Publications

Saarela, Pekka (1997). Nuorisobarometri 2/1997. Selvitys 15 - 29-vuotiaiden suomalaisten nuorten yhteiskunnalliseen osallistumiseen, politiikkaan, valtaan, päätöksentekoon, ylpeydenaiheisiin sekä päihteisiin liittyvistä käsityksistä. Helsinki: Opetusministeriö, Nuorisoasiain neuvottelukunta (Nuora). Nuoran julkaisuja; 3.