Authors

• International Social Survey Programme (ISSP)
• Blom, Raimo (University of Tampere. School of Social Sciences and Humanities)
• Melin, Harri (University of Tampere. School of Social Sciences and Humanities)

Keywords

associations, citizen participation, citizenship skills, civil and political rights, corruption, democracy, meetings, political influence, public administration, social influence

Abstract

The survey studied citizen participation, attitudes towards participation, and political and social influence in Finland. Opinions were charted on what is required of a good citizen (e.g. always vote, never evade taxes, help the less fortunate), and whether religious extremists, groups that want to violently overthrow the government, and people prejudiced against some racial or ethnic group should be allowed to hold public meetings. The respondents were asked which forms of civic participation they had or would be willing to engage in (e.g. participate in a demonstration, contact a politician or government official to voice an opinion), how often they used the media to follow news on politics, and how many people they interacted with in a day.

Membership and activity in different kinds of groups or associations (e.g. political party, church, voluntary association) were investigated as well as the importance of various rights of citizens (e.g. sufficient standard of living for all citizens, increased opportunities to participate in public decision-making, the right to abstain from voting). Views were charted on own abilities to influence decision-making, own knowledge of and interest in politics, self-placement on the left-right axis, trust in politicians and other people, and engagement in political discussions and debates with other people.

Opinions on the campaign and election integrity were charted as well as views on the commitment of the public sector to serve citizens and the likelihood of corruption in the public sector. Finally, the respondents assessed the quality of democracy in Finland and reported how often they followed politics in different media.

Background variables included, among others, the respondent's gender, year of birth, education, working hours, supervisory duties, employer sector, occupation, economic activity and occupational status as well as spouse's working hours, supervisory duties, employer sector, occupation, and economic activity and occupational status. Further background information included the respondent's membership in a trade union, religious affiliation, religious attendance, self-perceived social class, political party preference in elections, household composition, monthly gross income, marital status and type of municipality of residence.