Study title

Sociobarometer 2016

Dataset ID Number

FSD3188

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3188
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3188

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• SOSTE Finnish Federation for Social Affairs and Health

Abstract

The sociobarometer is a wide-ranging survey charting expert opinion on the welfare of Finnish citizens and the present state of welfare services in Finland. Collection rounds were planned to have been conducted less frequently after the 2015 sociobarometer, but the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela) made the initiative that the barometer charts, for three subsequent years, the effect of the 2017 reform where responsibility for granting basic social assistance was transferred to Kela from municipal social welfare offices. Because of this, between the more extensive biennial sociobarometers, these special sociobarometer surveys are conducted, of which the 2016 sociobarometer is the first. The respondents were managers of municipal health and social service offices, select staff at Kela who were relevant for the survey in terms of social assistance, and social workers in social assistance and adult social work. The study was funded by the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela) and Finland's Slot Machine Association (RAY).

The first questions surveyed the transfer of the responsibility for granting basic social assistance from municipal social welfare offices to Kela. The respondents were asked whether they thought it was the right call to transfer the responsibility to Kela for granting and paying basic social assistance. They were asked to evaluate the likeliness of a variety of effects caused by the transfer (e.g. whether the transfer would increase/decrease administrative costs, lower the threshold of applying for social assistance, speed up getting a decision for social assistance, or reduce bureaucracy). The respondents were also asked to what extent they agreed on a set of statements regarding the implementation of the transfer (e.g. whether the respondent's own organisation had informed people sufficiently about changes, whether preparations had been sufficient, and whether employees knew how their work would change). Opinions on the efficiency of cooperation between Kela and the social services were also charted, as well as opinions on the current level of basic social security in Finland and possible development needs. The study also surveyed the respondents' opinions about a system that would guarantee universal basic income for all persons permanently residing in Finland, and they were asked to evaluate suggestions for a model of universal basic income. Managers of municipal health and social service offices and social workers were also asked about housing costs, homelessness and whether there was a sufficient number of moderately priced rental apartments available in the area.

Finally, the survey covered the health and social services reform ('Sote reform') with questions that were only presented to managers of municipal health and social service offices. They were asked to evaluate the reform in general as well as how well the implementation of the reform had succeeded and what factors had affected the success of the implementation. The survey also examined the managers' views on how costs of the reform could be kept down in the long run, and what effects the so-called freedom of choice for customers would have on e.g. the availability and quality of services.

Depending on the respondent group, background variables included educational background, job title, qualification, major region (NUTS2), number of inhabitants in the municipality, statistical grouping of municipalities.

Keywords

Social Insurance Institution of Finland; housing; right to a minimum income; social reform; social security; social security benefits; social services; social welfare finance; social workers; universal basic income; welfare policy

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Health care services and policies (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Social welfare policy (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Social welfare systems/structures (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Specific social services: use and availability (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

Sociobarometers

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

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

Data Collector

• SOSTE Finnish Federation for Social Affairs and Health

Data Producers

• SOSTE Finnish Federation for Social Affairs and Health

Time Period Covered

2016

Collection Dates

2016-01-12 – 2016-02-08

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Organization/Institution

Universe

Managers of municipal health and social service offices, select staff at the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela), and social workers in social assistance and adult social work (excluding the Åland Islands)

Time Method

Longitudinal: Trend/Repeated cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Total universe/Complete enumeration

Questionnaires were sent to all managers of municipal health and social service offices, select staff at the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela) who were relevant for the survey in terms of social assistance, and social workers in social assistance and adult social work. In total, 373 responses were received.

Contact information for managers of municipal health and social service offices were picked from Finnish municipalities' and joint municipal authorities' (excl. Åland) websites in October-December 2015. The four municipal mergers that took place at the beginning of 2016 were accounted for during data collection. More than one respondent was picked from some larger municipalities and joint municipal authorities. If a municipality's services were arranged with a purchaser-provider model, the respondent represented the purchaser. A total of 301 questionnaires were sent, and 109 completed questionnaires were received (response rate 36%, share of total data 29%).

Due to Kela's organisational reform, the 2016 sociobarometer included Kela staff relevant for the survey in terms of social assistance instead of managers of Kela offices as in earlier sociobarometers. The questionnaire was sent to Directors of Insurance Districts, Heads of Centres for Income Security Benefits, "heads of social assistance groups' benefit processing" ('toimeentulotukiryhmien etuuskäsittelypäälliköt'), the Head of the Legal Affairs Unit, the Head of the Centre of Expertise in Income Security, Directors of Customer Service Units, and Heads of Customer Service Sections. Contact details were received from Kela. A total of 68 questionnaires were sent, and 45 responses were received (response rate 66%, share of total data 12%).

The social workers' questionnaire was sent to municipalities and joint municipal authorities and they were asked to forward the questionnaire to social workers in social assistance and adult social work. The questionnaire was meant for social workers instead of managers of social work to gain a perspective closer to the clients. In total, 219 social workers responded to the survey (share of total data 59%). The response rate of social workers could not be calculated because the total number of social workers in social assistance and adult social work was not known.

Collection Mode

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

1.0

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

Questionnaires were named in accodance with earlier datasets in the series: A = managers of municipal health and social service offices, B = Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela), F = social workers

The researchers removed the background variables in questionnaire B from the data, as well as information regarding the municipality/joint municipal authority in questionnaires A and F. To prevent identification, the following anonymisation measures were taken at FSD: variable q24 (costs of living in the area accepted for social assistance) was categorised into three response categories; in background variable q3 (educational background) of questionnaires A and F, fields of public administration, economics, education, and other social sciences were categorised together with "other or multiple degrees"; in questionnaire F, identifying job titles were removed from variable q44 (job title). Anonymisations done at FSD were marked with [square brackets]. Open-ended responses were removed from the data archived at FSD, but they may be enquired from SOSTE, the Finnish Federation for Social Affairs and Health.

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

SOSTE Finnish Federation for Social Affairs and Health: Sociobarometer 2016 [dataset]. Version 1.0 (2018-08-09). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3188

Deposit Requirement

Notify FSD of all publications where you have used the data by sending the citation information to user-services.fsd@tuni.fi.

Special Terms and Conditions for Access

Users of the data shall send the Suomen sosiaali ja terveys ry (SOSTE) a copy of all reports, theses, articles, other publications or material based on or using the data. If printed, to the mail address: SOSTE Suomen sosiaali ja terveys ry, Tutkimus, Yliopistonkatu 5, 00100 HELSINKI, FINLAND. If electronic, to the e-mail address: tutkimus@soste.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 Materials

Eronen, Anne & Lehtinen, Timo & Londén, Pia & Perälahti, Anne (2016). Sosiaalibarometri 2016. Erityiskatsaus toimeentulosta ja sote-uudistuksesta. Helsinki: SOSTE Suomen sosiaali ja terveys ry.

Related Publications

Eronen, Anne & Lehtinen, Timo & Londén, Pia & Perälahti, Anne (2016). Sosiaalibarometri 2016. Erityiskatsaus toimeentulosta ja sote-uudistuksesta. Helsinki: SOSTE Suomen sosiaali ja terveys ry.