Study title

Gambling Harm Survey 2017

Dataset ID Number

FSD3384

Persistent identifier

urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3384

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Salonen, Anne (National Institute for Health and Welfare. Tobacco, Gambling and Addiction)

Abstract

In the beginning of 2017, Finland's three gambling operators that had exclusive rights to provide gambling services, Finland's Slot Machine Association RAY, Veikkaus and Fintoto, merged into a single government-owned organisation (Veikkaus). The 2017 survey aimed to chart Finnish gambling habits, social and healthcare-related problems caused by gambling, and opinions on the visibility of advertising and marketing by Finnish gambling organisations. The goal of the study was to examine possible consequences of the merge. The survey was a follow-up study to FSD3261 Gambling Harm Survey 2016. The data for the follow-up 2017 study were collected in 2018 but as the study examines the respondents' gambling during the previous year, the title refers to the year 2017. The study was conducted by Statistics Finland and commissioned by the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).

First, the respondents were asked about the reasoning for a government-owned and government-regulated gambling market (e.g. securing gambling profits for the state, supporting Finnish art, science, sports, and social services, reducing the harm caused by gambling, preventing foreign competition). Their opinions on marketing and advertising by these organisations were examined with questions regarding, for example, how often the respondents had seen gambling advertisements on billboards, television, the internet etc.

Gambling habits were examined with questions regarding the frequency of playing games of chance, such as lotteries or horse betting, and reasons for playing them. Knowledge on aspects relating to gambling, such as the chances of winning, warning signs of excessive gambling, and health-related or financial consequences of gambling were charted. The study also surveyed whether the respondents found gambling a problem, how often they had felt in 2017 that it was a problem, and whether they were familiar with or had used different services provided by Veikkaus to help control gambling. The amount of money the respondents had used for gambling in 2017 per week, per month and during the whole year was also surveyed, as well as in what sort of environments they played games of chance (e.g. at home, at work, in kiosks, at Casino Helsinki) and with whom (alone, with an acquaintance or a group of acquaintances, or with an unknown person or a group of unknown persons). It was also surveyed whether the respondents gambled on the internet and used a PC or a mobile device, such as a smartphone or a tablet computer, for online gambling.

Next, the Problem and Pathological Gambling Measure (PPGM) was used to evaluate the respondents' gambling habits. They were also asked about harm caused by gambling on their lives in general as well as relating to their economical situation, work or studies, health, emotional well-being and relationships. Other possible types of harm on the respondents' lives were also surveyed.

Finally, the respondents were asked if their social circle in 2017 included persons who, in their opinion, gambled too much. It was queried who these persons were in relation to the respondents and what sort of problems these persons' gambling had caused for the respondents.

Background variables included gender, education level, net income (categorised), economic activity and occupational status, age group and NUTS3 region.

Keywords

addiction; advertising; gambling; gaming machines; internet; interpersonal relations; marketing; monopolies; social problems

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Medical and health sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Social behaviour and attitudes (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Social conditions and indicators (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

• Statistics Finland. Interview and Survey Services

Time Period Covered

2017

Collection Dates

2018-01-22 – 2018-04-30

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Uusimaa, Kymenlaakso, Pirkanmaa

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

Persons aged 18 and over residing in the area of chosen NUTS3 regions (Uusimaa, Kymenlaakso, Pirkanmaa) whose first language was Finnish, Swedish, Sami, Norwegian or Danish, and Finnish citizens whose first language was Russian, and Finnish citizens whose first language was some other language and who had obtained Finnish citizenship before the year 2013 (excluding institutionalised population)

Time Method

Longitudinal: Panel

Sampling Procedure

Probability: Stratified

The participants of the survey conducted in 2018 had already participated in the previous study in 2017 and consented to participate in the follow-up study. The original sample was drawn from Statistics Finland's population database in 2017. The target population included all persons aged 18 and over residing in the chosen geographical regions (Uusimaa, Kymenlaakso, Pirkanmaa), excluding institutionalised population. The sample size was 20,000 persons in the first survey and 4,581 persons in the second survey.

A previous study showed that the risk of problem gambling is especially high in the youngest demographic, which is why the stratum of persons aged 18 - 24 years was oversampled on purpose: the age group constitutes about 10% of the population, but 15% of the sample. All respondents received reminders to respond to the survey. 1,877 persons responded to the online survey and 747 persons responded to the postal survey.

The following six strata were formed in the sample (supposing that the language criterium apply):

1. persons born before the year 1992 in the Uusimaa region (n = 11,750)

2. persons born in 1992 - 1998 in the Uusimaa region (n = 2,093)

3. persons born before the year 1992 in the Pirkanmaa region (n = 3,837)

4. persons born in 1992 - 1998 in the Pirkanmaa region (n = 709)

5. persons born before the year 1992 in the Kymenlaakso region (n = 1,413)

6. persons born in 1992 - 1998 in the Kymenlaakso region (n = 198)

The sample was picked using a systematic random sampling technique, for which the population was stratified according to region of residence. This technique produced a sample representative of the population in terms of region of residence. In addition, it was ascertained that the sample did not include two cases from the same household.

Collection Mode

Self-administered questionnaire: Paper

Self-administered questionnaire: Web-based (CAWI)

Research Instrument

Structured questionnaire

Response Rate

57

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: English and Finnish.

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

Number of Cases and Variables

234 variables and 2624 cases.

Data Version

1.0

Weighting

There are two weight variables in the data, wca1 and wca12. The weights in the follow-up study are based on the weights in the first study and were adjusted with a CALMAR2 calibration. In the calibration, estimated distributions of chosen variables are forced to be representative of the population distribution. The weights were calibrated according to the Finnish population's (February 2018) age and gender distribution (age groups 18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-74, 75+), education level distribution (3 classes: basic education, upper secondary education, tertiary education) and region of residence distribution (NUTS3 region, 3 classes, and Finland's Environmental Administration's 2014 urban-rural classification, 7 classes).

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

Salonen, Anne (National Institute for Health and Welfare): Gambling Harm Survey 2017 [dataset]. Version 1.0 (2020-02-11). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3384

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 Materials

FSD3261 Gambling Harm Survey 2016

Related Publications

Salonen, Anne; Lind, Kalle; Castrén, Sari; Lahdenkari, Mika; Kontto, Jukka; Selin, Jani; Hellman, Matilda; Järvinen-Tassopoulos, Johanna (2019). Peliklinikan asiakkaiden rahapelaaminen, rahapelihaitat ja rahapelien markkinointiin liittyvät mielipiteet: Rahapelikyselyn 2016-2017 perustulokset yksinoikeusjärjestelmän uudistuksessa. THL:n raportteja 4/2017. Helsinki: THL. URN:ISBN:978-952-343-301-4

Salonen, A. H., Hellman, M., Latvala, T., & Castren, S. (2018). Gambling participation, gambling habits, gambling-related harm, and opinions on gambling advertising in Finland in 2016. Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 35(3), 215-234. https://doi.org/10.1177/1455072518765875

Anne Salonen, Sari Castrén, Tiina Latvala, Maria Heiskanen & Hannu Alho (2017). Rahapelikysely 2016 : Rahapelaaminen, rahapelihaitat ja rahapelien markkinointiin liittyvät mielipiteet rahapeliongelmaan apua hakevien Peliklinikan asiakkaiden näkökulmasta. THL:n raportteja 8/2017. urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-302-974-3

Salonen, Anne; Latvala, Tiina; Castrén, Sari; Selin, Jani; Hellman, Matilda (2017). Rahapelikysely 2016 : Rahapelaaminen, rahapelihaitat ja rahapelien markkinointiin liittyvät mielipiteet Uudellamaalla, Pirkanmaalla ja Kymenlaaksossa. THL:n raportteja 9/2017. Helsinki: THL.URN:ISBN:978-952-302-976-7

Grönroos, T., Kouvonen, A., Kontto, J. et al. Socio-Demographic Factors, Gambling Behaviour, and the Level of Gambling Expenditure: A Population-Based Study. J Gambl Stud (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-021-10075-6

Tervonen, Hannes (2021). Veikkaus Oy:n markkinointikanavat ja niiden tehokkuus Suomessa. Yhteiskuntatieteiden ja kauppatieteiden tiedekunta. Kauppatieteiden kandidaatin tutkielma. Joensuu: Itä-Suomen Yliopisto.