Authors

• Finnish Business and Policy Forum (EVA)

Keywords

European Union, European integration, climate change, decision making, environment, parliamentary elections, political parties, taxation

Abstract

The survey charted the values and attitudes of Finnish people. The main themes of the Winter 2019 survey included parliamentary elections and government formation, changes in tax policy, environmental actions and the distribution of power in decision-making between nation states and the European Union.

First, the respondents were presented with attitudinal statements concerning a variety of social topics, such as welfare, government debt, income disparities, climate change, immigration, taxation and the EU.

The respondents' opinions on the new government formed after the parliamentary elections of 2019 were examined. Questions charted what the new government should focus on (e.g. improving employment, lowering taxation, increasing funding for education, stricter environment policy, cutting public expenditure) and what the respondents' views were on the composition of the new government (which political parties should or should not be included in the new government and which political party the prime minister should belong to). Opinions on tax policy were examined with questions concerning whether different taxes should be increased or decreased. Regarding climate change, the respondents were asked what actions, such as giving up meat, dairy or flying and decreasing energy consumption, they thought they could adopt in their lives to slow down climate change.

Next, the respondents were asked about the distribution of power between nation states and the EU regarding various different aspects, such as environment policy, taxation of companies, education policy, health care, defence policy and international trade. In addition, the potential future developments of the EU that the respondents hoped to see happen in the following 10 years were surveyed (e.g. Brexit happening, Finland quitting the euro or other countries in addition to Great Britain leaving the EU). Opinions were also charted on Finland's EU membership and the currency change to euro.

Finally, questions were presented on whether the EMU membership and the Euro were advantageous or disadvantageous to Finland in the economic situation at the time of the survey. The respondents were also asked whether they would have voted for or against Finland's EU membership if a referendum had been held at the time of responding, and if they had voted in the 1994 referendum, whether they had voted for or against joining the EU.

Background variables included gender, age group, size of municipality of residence, region of residence (NUTS3), basic education, professional or vocational education, occupational status, type of employer, contractual (employment) relationship, industry of employment, political party preference, trade union confederation, perceived socioeconomic class and household income.