Children and Youth Leisure Surveys chart the leisure time of children and young people living in Finland. The series began life as Youth Leisure Surveys, but the target population was later expanded to also include children aged 7 or older. From 2024 onwards, the target group has again been restricted to individuals aged 10-29.
The surveys primarily focus in life and activities occurring outside of school, work and other institutions, with particular emphasis on media use, hobbies and physical activity. In addition to repeated questions, there is a changing main theme on each collection round.
The survey studied the leisure time activities of Finnish children and young people aged from seven to 29. Data collection is carried out every three years. In 2016 the survey was renamed as the Children and Youth Leisure Survey because the minimum age limit for participants was lowered.
The parents/guardians of the respondents between 7 and 14 years of age were first asked how much time the child spent using media (including social media, computer games, books, the internet etc.) and exercising. Respondents over the age of 15 answered these questions themselves.
The respondents were asked how much leisure time they had and whether they had any hobbies. Participation in organized leisure time groups, such as sports teams or scouts, was investigated. The use of media was measured by questions investigating the importance of different media and how often children used these media. Children under the age of 15 were also asked which devices they could use during their leisure time. Furthermore, Internet use was charted with questions about the things done online, and how often children did these things. The respondents were also asked about the device they used the most to access the Internet.
Questions about media use continued by investigating the importance of different uses of media. The respondents evaluated their own use of media and compared it with people of the same age. Media use within the respondent's family and media as a hobby were also studied.
Next set of questions dealt with relationships to other people. The respondents were asked how many friends they had, whether they had friends they had first met online, whether they felt they were a part of some group in social media, how often they used media to interact with friends and family, and how often they met face-to-face with their friends.
The respondents' physical activity was charted by asking how often they exercised in their leisure time, if they would have liked to take part in a certain kind of exercise, if they played sports as a member of a sports club, and how often they exercised in the sports club. Reasons for not exercising were investigated. The respondents were also asked how much money they would be willing to spend on exercising. Questions on whether the respondents exercised alone or with friends, and whether their physical activity was comprised mainly of sports, or everyday physical activities were asked.
Finally, the respondents were asked to evaluate their satisfaction on different areas of their life. These areas included leisure time spent on media, overall leisure time, human relationships, health, physical fitness, appearance, financial situation, and life in general.
Background variables included the respondent's age, gender, mother tongue, household composition, number and ages of household members, education level of mother and father, financial situation, and whether they identified as a member of a minority. For those aged 15-29, further background variables included the type of educational institution, employment status, economic activity and education.
The sample was drawn from the population register. Data were gathered by Feedback Group Oy. Norstat Finland collected face-to-face interviews and telephone interviews in Swedish.
Participants between 10 and 29 years of age were interviewed over the phone and those between seven and nine were interviewed face-to-face. 15-29-year-olds were directly contacted, while persons under 15 years of age were interviewed only after consent had been obtained from a parent.
A sample of 11,680 persons was drawn from the population register for the phone interviews. 8,256 phone calls were made to different numbers. 3,628 persons were not reached, and in 87 cases the number did not work. Out of the 4,541 persons who were reached 3,496 (77%) declined the interview request, while 1,045 (23%) agreed to participate in the interview.