Authors

• SOSTE Finnish Federation for Social Affairs and Health

Keywords

health services, right to a minimum income, social care, social inequality, social reform, social security, social security benefits, social services, welfare policy, well-being (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. The 2018 sociobarometer is a special sociobarometer survey which charts the effects of the health and social services reform (sote reform) and the 2017 reform where responsibility for granting basic social assistance was transferred to the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela) from municipal social welfare offices. The respondents were managers of municipal health and social service offices, the management of Kela, social workers and Kela employees. Funding for the study consisted of funding granted by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment to the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela) for the purpose of conducting the survey as well as funding the Finnish Federation for Social Affairs and Health (SOSTE) received from Veikkaus.

First, the survey charted opinions on the income security system and the development of social inequality in Finland over the past 10 years. The managers of municipal health and social service offices, social workers and the management of Kela were presented with various statements concerning the income security system (e.g. whether they thought that the level of different benefits was too low and sanctions related to social assistance lead to inequality). They were also asked to put several goals of the basic social assistance reform in order of importance.

The next theme concerned the health and social services reform (sote reform), and questions were presented to managers of municipal health and social service offices, social workers and the management of Kela. The respondents were asked for their opinion on a system that would guarantee universal basic income for all persons permanently residing in Finland and on the health and social services reform in general. Additionally, managers of municipal health and social service offices and social workers were asked how different aspects of the reform had succeeded and what factors had affected its success. The survey also examined views on how costs of the reform could be kept down in the long run (e.g. increasing preventive services and e-services, outsourcing services), and what effects the so-called freedom of choice for customers would have on e.g. the availability and quality of services. Some questions also focused on how likely the respondents thought various effects of the reform were from the viewpoint of health and welfare promotion (hyte) in municipalities and how well cooperation between organisations in health and welfare promotion was achieved at the time of the survey.

Finally, questions surveyed the respondents' attitudes towards the 2017 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. The respondents were also asked to what extent they agreed or disagreed on a set of statements regarding what effects had been caused by the transfer (e.g. whether the transfer had increased/decreased administrative costs, lowered the threshold of applying for social assistance, sped up getting a decision for social assistance, or reduced bureaucracy). Opinions on the cooperation between Kela and social services and the sufficiency of expertise at Kela regarding social work were also charted. Additionally, all respondents were asked whether they were concerned about the circumstances of some population group in relation to the basic social assistance transfer.

Background variables included, depending on the respondent group, time spent in current role, educational background, qualification, and major region or insurance district.