Study title

Sociobarometer 2019

Dataset ID Number

FSD3430

Persistent identifier

urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3430

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. 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.

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)

Topic Classification

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

Time Period Covered

2019

Collection Dates

2019-01-07 – 2019-02-18

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Organization/Institution

Universe

Healthcare managers and social workers at municipalities and joint municipal authorities, directors of operational units at Kela (Social Insurance Institution of Finland), Kela officers working with social assistance benefits, and managers of local employment and economic development offices (TE Offices) (excluding the Åland Islands)

Time Method

Longitudinal: Trend/Repeated cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Total universe/Complete enumeration

The questionnaires were sent to all healthcare managers and social workers of municipalities and joint municipal authorities in continental Finland, management of Kela and local employment and economic development offices (TE Offices), and a sample of Kela claims specialists. 882 responses were received before the deadline. Each respondent group had their own questionnaire.

The social welfare and healthcare managers' contact details were collected from the websites of municipalities and joint municipal authorities in December 2018. The data collection took into consideration municipal mergers happening in early 2019 as well as new social welfare and healthcare regions. Several respondents were picked in the largest cities and joint municipal authorities, depending on the organisational structure. 296 questionnaires were sent out with 94 responses received (response rate 32%, constituting 11% of total data).

The questionnaire for social workers was sent to registry offices of municipalities and joint municipal authorities with a request that it be forwarded to social workers in the area. 353 social workers responded (constituting 40% of total data). The total number of social workers is not known, so the response rate cannot be calculated.

The questionnaire for Kela management was sent to managers of the business units of Customer Relations, Benefit Services and Development, as well as Directors of Customer Service Units, and Heads of Customer Service Sections; contact details were received from Kela. 225 questionnaires were sent and 93 responses were received (response rate 41%, constituting 11% of total data).

The questionnaire for Kela employees was sent to a randomly selected sample of 436 social assistance claims specialists and team leaders. Contact details for sampling were received from Kela. 281 responses were received (response rate 64%, constituting 32% of total data).

The questionnaire for managers of local employment and economic development offices (TE Offices) was sent to directors and managers whose contact details were received from the Ministry of Economis Affairs and Employment. 158 questionnaires were sent and 61 responses were received (response rate 39%, constituting 7% of total data).

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

Respondent groups were named in the data as follows: 1= social welfare and healthcare management, 2= Kela management, 3= TE management, 8= social workers and 9= Kela employees.

The three last questions in question battery q10 (q10_21-23) are not visible on the PDF of the questionnaire for social welfare and healthcare managers due to space limitations.

To prevent identification of respondents, the following variables were categorised during archiving: educational background (q4), Kela manager's job title (kelatitt) and TE manager's region (tealue).

The data do not include open-ended responses/variables.

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 2019 [dataset]. Version 1.0 (2020-07-31). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3430

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 & Londén, Pia & Peltosalmi, Juha (2019). Sosiaalibarometri 2019. Helsinki: SOSTE Suomen sosiaali ja terveys ry.

Related Publications

Eronen, Anne & Londén, Pia & Peltosalmi, Juha (2019). Sosiaalibarometri 2019. Helsinki: SOSTE Suomen sosiaali ja terveys ry.