Study title

Political Trust among Upper Secondary Students in Tampere 2016

Dataset ID Number

FSD3108

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3108
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3108

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Aarnio, Anna-Riikka (University of Tampere. School of Management)
• Ala-Lahti, Henri (University of Tampere. School of Management)
• Elonen, Eeva-Kaisa (University of Tampere. School of Management)
• Hakanpää, Lotta (University of Tampere. School of Management)
• Ilkka, Sakari (University of Tampere. School of Management)
• Järvenreuna, Vera (University of Tampere. School of Management)
• Kantola, Petra (University of Tampere. School of Management)
• Lehtinen, Sanni (University of Tampere. School of Management)
• Tiihonen, Laura (University of Tampere. School of Management)
• Bäck, Maria (University of Tampere. School of Management)
• Kestilä-Kekkonen, Elina (University of Tampere. School of Management)
• Sipinen, Josefina (University of Tampere. School of Management)
• Tiihonen, Aino (University of Tampere. School of Management)

Abstract

The data were collected as part of a project conducted by university students during an advanced studies course in political science. The survey charted political trust, political knowledge and interest, and political participation of upper secondary students in the Tampere area.

First, the respondents interest in politics was surveyed as well as their perceptions on their political knowledge, frequency of discussing politics and social issues in different contexts, and frequency of following news and politics in the media. Satisfaction with the Finnish education system, democracy in Finland, and the performance of the Finnish Government was examined as well as trust in various institutions (e.g. political parties, parliament, politicians, the European Union, the police, universities and research institutes) and trust in Prime Minister Juha Sipilä, Minister of Finance Alexander Stubb, and Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini. Views on the decisions made by the Finnish government and prevalence of corruption among decision-makers were investigated.

A number of statements relating to decision-making and ways to influence it were presented (e.g. "Citizens must influence the direction of politics primarily by voting in elections"). Perceptions were surveyed on the state of the Finnish economy, own and parents' placement on the left-right scale, own and parents' party identification, effects of parents' political views on own political opinions, and prevalence of civic issues at school.

The respondents' values were investigated by asking the extent to which they agreed with a number of statements concerning, for instance, multiculturalism, same-sex marriage, use of fossil fuels, abortion, and sentences for violent crime. Social engagement, volunteering, and interpersonal trust were examined as well as different forms of political/civic participation the respondents had done or thought they could do. The respondents were asked whether there was someone they could talk to about their personal matters and how happy they felt. Finally, the respondents were asked questions that charted their factual knowledge of politics.

Background variables included, among others, the respondent's year of birth, gender, mother tongue, type of school (general or vocational), year of study, future plans relating to education and employment, religiosity, household composition, and grade average of the lower secondary school leaving certificate as well as parents' education levels and the self-perceived financial circumstances of the family.

Keywords

family influence; political attitudes; political awareness; political behaviour; political interest; political participation; students; trust; trust in government; upper secondary schools; values

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Political behaviour and attitudes (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

• Aarnio, Anna-Riikka (University of Tampere. School of Management)
• Ala-Lahti, Henri (University of Tampere. School of Management)
• Elonen, Eeva-Kaisa (University of Tampere. School of Management)
• Hakanpää, Lotta (University of Tampere. School of Management)
• Ilkka, Sakari (University of Tampere. School of Management)
• Järvenreuna, Vera (University of Tampere. School of Management)
• Kantola, Petra (University of Tampere. School of Management)
• Lehtinen, Sanni (University of Tampere. School of Management)
• Tiihonen, Laura (University of Tampere. School of Management)
• Bäck, Maria (University of Tampere. School of Management)
• Kestilä-Kekkonen, Elina (University of Tampere. School of Management)
• Sipinen, Josefina (University of Tampere. School of Management)
• Tiihonen, Aino (University of Tampere. School of Management)

Time Period Covered

2016

Collection Dates

2016-04-01 – 2016-04-26

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland, Tampere

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

Upper secondary students (general upper secondary schools and vocational schools) (excluding students in adult education)

Time Method

Cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Non-probability: Purposive

Sampling was conducted by contacting social studies teachers and/or guidance counsellors in all upper secondary schools (general) and vocational schools in the Tampere area. The contact teachers delivered the link to the Internet survey to the student groups of their choosing. The respondents were also provided an opportunity to fill in a paper questionnaire if a digital device was not available. There were 969 responses to the Internet survey and 11 responses to the paper questionnaire.

Collection Mode

Self-administered questionnaire: Paper

Self-administered questionnaire: Web-based (CAWI)

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: Finnish.

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

Data Version

2.0

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

Id numbers of the respondents who responded on the Internet: 1 - 969. Id numbers of the respondents who responded on paper: 1501 - 1511.

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

Aarnio, Anna-Riikka (University of Tampere) & Ala-Lahti, Henri (University of Tampere) & Elonen, Eeva-Kaisa (University of Tampere) & Hakanpää, Lotta (University of Tampere) & Ilkka, Sakari (University of Tampere) & Järvenreuna, Vera (University of Tampere) & Kantola, Petra (University of Tampere) & Lehtinen, Sanni (University of Tampere) & Tiihonen, Laura (University of Tampere) & Bäck, Maria (University of Tampere) & Kestilä-Kekkonen, Elina (University of Tampere) & Sipinen, Josefina (University of Tampere) & Tiihonen, Aino (University of Tampere): Political Trust among Upper Secondary Students in Tampere 2016 [dataset]. Version 2.0 (2018-07-13). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3108

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

Aarnio, Anna-Riikka & Ala-Lahti, Henri & Elonen, Eeva-Kaisa & Hakanpää, Lotta & Ilkka, Sakari & Järvenreuna, Vera & Kantola, Petra & Lehtinen, Sanni & Tiihonen, Laura & Sipinen, Josefina & Tiihonen, Aino & Kestilä-Kekkonen, Elina & Bäck, Maria (2017). Lukiolaiset luottavat lujemmin: Lukiolaisten ja ammattikoululaisten poliittinen luottamus Tampereella. Kosmopolis 47(3-4), 31-52.