Authors

• SOSTE Finnish Federation for Social Affairs and Health

Keywords

access to health services, disadvantaged persons, employment, employment policy, employment services, health services, managers, return-to-work incentives, social inequality, social security benefits, social welfare, social workers, state health services, 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 2019 sociobarometer charted social disparity, basic security and minimum income, support for partially incapacitated persons, rehabilitation, and measures for increasing employment. Additionally, questions examined developing social welfare and healthcare services. Respondents included healthcare managers and social workers at municipalities and joint municipal authorities, directors of operational units at Kela (Social Insurance Institution of Finland), a sample of Kela officers working with social assistance benefits, and managers of local employment and economic development offices (TE Offices). The 2019 sociobarometer survey was collected with funding from the Funding Centre for Social Welfare and Health Organisations (STEA) of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health as well as Kela and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.

First, the survey focused on the health and social services reform (sote-uudistus). Questions examined the respondents' views on the successfulness of the reform as a whole and in different areas. It was also enquired how the reform would affect the status of different types of healthcare service providers as well as whether the respondents thought the reform would succeed in e.g. reducing costs of social welfare and healthcare services, increasing the client's ability to choose their social welfare and healthcare service provider, streamlining administration and funding, and improving well-being and health in municipalities and healthcare regions. The respondents were also asked whether they approved or disapproved with different measures to reduce costs in social welfare and healthcare, and whether increasing the clients' freedom to choose their healthcare service provider would improve or weaken e.g. service quality, availability or costs.

Next, views were charted on the development of well-being, social disparity and basic security. The respondents were asked whether well-being of different groups of people in the area had increased or decreased within the previous five years. They were also asked to choose the groups of people whose situation worried them most, as well as how functional they considered the social welfare and health service system for people with several problems in their life situation. They were also asked to estimate the effect of recent cuts to basic security on the subsistence and service needs of people in the area. Attitudinal statements were presented on developing the system of basic security. The respondents were also asked which factors they considered to have an impact on the increase of disparity in the area in the coming years, and which measures should be included in the Government's platform in order to decrease disparity. The respondents were also presented with attitudinal statements concerning minimum income and basic social assistance.

The survey also examined views on employment and supporting economic growth. The respondents were asked to estimate how big of a problem unemployment was in their area and to what extent different political measures would increase employment. Opinions were also charted on different incentives to work. Factors affecting employment opportunities of the partially incapacitated were charted along with possible measures for improving their employment. Views were examined on the importance of different aspects in the organisation of services in the reformation of healthcare regions. Finally, the respondent's opinions were charted on rehabilitation and different aspects affecting the quality of rehabilitation services.

Background variables included, depending on the type of respondent, educational background, job title, years spent in current work tasks, major region and Kela insurance district.