Study title

Youth Media Participation in Argentina, Egypt, Finland and India 2009-2011

Dataset ID Number

FSD3096

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3096
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3096

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Kotilainen, Sirkku (University of Jyväskylä)

Abstract

The aim of this study was to chart the media participation of adolescents in Argentina, Egypt, Finland and India. The questions surveyed personal, social and public use of media as well as media literacy.

First, the respondents were asked what media equipment (e.g. newspapers, radio, television, mobile phone, music players, video game consoles, computers) they had access to at home or somewhere else, and how often the respondents used them. They were also asked if a variety of media-related services were offered in their community/neighbourhood (e.g. libraries, movie theatres, internet cafés). In addition, the survey examined respondents' opinions on a variety of statements relating to matters such as media skills, rules for media use in the family, interest in media content, and fandom.

Next, the respondents were asked which media they used for information-seeking regarding schoolwork, practical everyday matters such as timetables or the weather, current events and politics, puberty and sexuality, products and services, and which media they used for e.g. contacting relatives and friends, searching for a romantic partner, or contacting celebrities. They were also asked if they used media together with their families, friends, partners or virtual friends.

It was asked if the respondents published their opinions via different media channels about social, political, cultural and environmental matters or human rights matters. The respondents were also asked if they would have liked to publish their opinions more often and why they had not done so. In addition to publishing opinions, they were asked if they published their own creative content, such as text, music, drawings, videos or computer programmes.

Regarding media literacy, opinions were examined on the reliability and truthfulness of news articles, television programmes, internet pages, and advertisements. It was also surveyed whether the respondents thought that young people should be discussed more often in the media. They were also asked if the media often portrayed a distorted image of foreign countries and cultures.

Next, the respondents' interest in a variety of themes was examined (both in "factual" and in "fictional" media), along with whether they published opinions or content regarding these themes or discussed them with other people (the themes included e.g. news, politics and society, the environment, human rights, sports, beauty and fashion, art, science, history, technology, and celebrities). The respondents were also asked if they had ever been interviewed for a newspaper article, a radio or television programme or some other medium, and to what extent it was possible for young people to have their opinions heard. The survey also charted respondents' experiences of limitations set on media use by e.g. governmental authorities or legislation, religion, school, family or friends.

Finally, the respondents' internet use was surveyed with regard to how often they used the internet in different places (e.g. at school, at home, at a friend's home, in public or on a mobile phone) and for different purposes (e.g. information-seeking, e-mail, shopping, instant messaging, social media, gaming, or watching videos/movies). The respondents' mobile phone use was also examined with regard to how often they used a mobile phone for phone calls, SMS messages, gaming, listening to music or radio, using the internet, taking photos and watching videos, among others.

Background variables included age, gender, country, type of neighbourhood, parents' occupations (categorised), ethnic group as well as the language spoken at home and the language used for responding to the questionnaire (mother tongue/English).

Keywords

adolescents; communications; internet; mass media; media literacy; press; social interaction; social networks

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Media (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Information society (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Youth (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

• Kotilainen, Sirkku (University of Jyväskylä)

Time Period Covered

2009 – 2011

Collection Dates

2009 – 2011

Nation

Finland, Argentina, Egypt, India

Geographical Coverage

Finland, Argentina, Egypt, India

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

Young people aged 11 - 18 residing in Finland, Argentina, Egypt, and the state of Gujarat in India.

Time Method

Cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Non-probability: Purposive

For the sample, the capital and one rural municipality was picked from each country, with the exception of India where the sample was picked only from the state of Gujarat. The aim was to include a certain number of respondents from each country.

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: English and Finnish.

FSD translates quantitative data into English on request, free of charge. More information on ordering data translation.

Number of Cases and Variables

860 variables and 4367 cases.

Data Version

1.0

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

To prevent identification, the original ID variable was removed from the data, and open-ended responses regarding region of residence (q26), parents' occupations (q30, q31), and ethnic group and language spoken at home (q32, q33, q34) were categorised or coded into separate variables. In addition, parts of the remaining open-ended responses were anonymised, and these anonymisations were marked with [square brackets].

The data is available in English. Variable and value labels were not translated at FSD; labels were copied from the English-language questionnaire. Some labels were shortened due to character limitations in SPSS Statistics.

Regarding the data from Egypt, some questions were coded in separate variables. During archiving, some of these variables (q14c, q14d, q15a, q15v, q22l, q22q) were removed due to unclear variable labels, and only variables with question texts in the same form as in the questionnaire were left in the data (q12b, q12d, q12g, q12i, q23b-q23f). In addition, response alternatives in the Argentinian part of question q32 were not translated into Finnish due to interpretation problems.

Weighting

There are two weight variables in the data, one for the whole dataset and one for the Finnish data. No further information is available on the weight variables.

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

Kotilainen, Sirkku (University of Jyväskylä): Youth Media Participation in Argentina, Egypt, Finland and India 2009-2011 [dataset]. Version 1.0 (2018-05-15). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3096

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 Publications

Pathak-Shelat, Manisha & Kotilainen, Sirkku & Hirsjärvi, Irma (2015). A Polycentric Approach to Comparative Research: Reflections on an International Youth. Media Participation Study. Journal of Children and Media, 9:3, 386-393, DOI: 10.1080/17482798.2015.1053645

Kotilainen, Sirkku & Suoninen, Annikka (2014) "Youth media participation: global perspectives", Communication Management Quarterly CM, 29:8 (2014), 37-60 DOI: 10.5937/comman1329037K

Pathak-Shelat, Manisha & Kotilainen, Sirkku (2015) "Media and Information Literacies and the Well-being of Young People: Comparative perspectives" in Kotilainen, S. & Kupiainen, R. (eds.) Reflections on Media Education Futures: Contributions to the Conference Media Education Futures in Tampere, Finland 2014. Gothenburg: Nordicom, pp. 147-158.

Kotilainen, Sirkku & Suoninen, Annikka (2013) "Cultures of Media and Information Literacies among the Young. South-North Viewpoints" in Carlsson, U. & Culver, S.H. (eds.) Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue, MILID Yearbook 2013, Gothenburg: Nordicom, pp. 141-162.

Kotilainen, Sirkku, Suoninen, Annikka, Hirsjärvi, Irma, Kolomainen, Saara (2011) "Youngsters' Expressions of Responsible Citizenship through Media Diaries", in Feilitzen, C. (ed.) Yearbook 2011, Gothenburg: Nordicom, pp. 213-225.