Study title

Identities, Values and Attitudes among Russian-, Estonian-, Somali-, and Arabic-speaking People in the Helsinki Capital Region 2018-2019

Dataset ID Number

FSD3448

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3448
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3448

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• E2 Research
• Finnish Cultural Foundation
• City of Helsinki
• City of Vantaa
• City of Espoo
• Ministry of Justice

Abstract

The survey studied the values and identities of the five main linguistic minorities, Russian-, Estonian-, Somali-, English- and Arabic-speaking people, in the Helsinki capital region. The main theme of the survey was the self-image of the respondents as an individual and as part of different groups. The study was funded by E2 Research, Finnish Cultural Foundation, Ministry of Justice, and the cities of Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa.

First, the respondents were asked how many years they had lived in Finland and where they or their family were originally from. National identity was surveyed with questions on how the respondents viewed their nationality and whether they felt they were a part of Finnish society. Questions also focused on the significance of various regional and social factors, such as the respondent's current area of residence, being a European citizen, level of education, and cultural traditions, as contributors to the respondent's identity. The respondents were also asked to describe their family's social class during their childhood (e.g. whether their family was a working or middle class family).

Next, the respondents' views on several statements were surveyed. The statements included, for example, whether the respondent thought that being Finnish was connected to one's ethnic background, that the media portrayed representatives of their minority group too negatively, and that Finland needs strong leadership so that social problems can be fixed without compromises. The importance of several things for the respondents, such as power, wealth, equality, and forgiveness, was charted. The respondents were also asked to consider what was extremely important for them in their life (e.g. health, love, children, traditions, safety and security). Finally, the respondents' trust in various authorities and organisations in Finland, such as the President, the justice system, banks, and large corporations, was examined. The respondents' trust in individuals was also charted.

Background variables included, among others, the respondent's age group, gender, economic activity and occupational status, number of completed school years, country where R completed their highest level of education, household composition, mother tongue, which language R spoke at home, and the main reason why R moved to Finland.

Keywords

cultural identity; identity; languages; minority groups; minority language users; national identity; nationality; personal identity

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Minorities (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Language and linguistics (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Cultural and national identity (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Social behaviour and attitudes (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

• Taloustutkimus

Time Period Covered

2018 – 2019

Collection Dates

2018-10-15 – 2019-03-15

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland, Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

Russian-, Estonian-, Somali-, English- (Western countries), and Arabic-speaking people aged over 18 residing in the Helsinki capital region

Time Method

Cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Probability: Simple random

The respondents were selected based on a sample delivered by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. The sample consisted of 3,000 randomly selected people from each linguistic minority. The people selected for the sample resided in Helsinki, Vantaa, or Espoo, and had lived in Finland for at least two consecutive years at the time of data collection. The representation in the sample was ensured by utilising information on the age and gender distribution of the linguistic minorities in the population. When forming the sample, English-speaking people were limited to the following countries: Great Britain, Ireland, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

The questionnaire was translated into the mother tongue of each respondent group. The respondents could respond in their mother tongue or in Finnish in the interview.

Collection Mode

Face-to-face interview: Computer-assisted (CAPI/CAMI)

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: 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

161 variables and 1527 cases.

Data Version

1.0

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

Response option "Upper class family" in variable Q9 in the questionnaire is missing from the data.

To prevent identification of respondents, the following variables were removed from the data at FSD: q1 country of birth, q3 country the respondent or their family was originally from, q8_13v specific minority respondent belonged to, b1 age, b7 mother tongue, b8 other mother tongue/multilingualism, b28 city of residence, and q8_21m, b18m, and b20m "other, please specify" open-ended variables. Additionally, variables q2 denoting how many years R had lived in Finland, b4 denoting the number of completed school years, and b5 denoting the country where R completed the highest level of education were categorised. Variable b9 denoting languages spoken at R's home was re-coded into dichotomous variables based on language groups (b9_1-b9_7). Open-ended responses left in the data were reviewed and, if necessary, identifiers were coarsened or removed. Changes made at FSD were marked with [square brackets].

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

E2 Research & Finnish Cultural Foundation & City of Helsinki & City of Vantaa & City of Espoo & Ministry of Justice: Identities, Values and Attitudes among Russian-, Estonian-, Somali-, and Arabic-speaking People in the Helsinki Capital Region 2018-2019 [dataset]. Version 1.0 (2021-09-17). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3448

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 Publications

Pitkänen, Ville, Pasi Saukkonen & Jussi Westinen (2020) How different are we? Survey results on identities, values and attitudes among the Finnish majority population and the largest ethno-linguistic minorities [online]. E2 Research. https://www.e2.fi/media/julkaisut-ja-alustukset/how-different-are-we.pdf [cited 2.9.2020].

Saukkonen, Pasi: Kotoutuminen kaupungissa. Kokonaiskuva ulkomaalaistaustaisista Helsingissä vuonna 2020 [verkkodokumentti]. Tutkimuksia 1. Helsinki: Helsingin kaupunginkanslia. https://www.hel.fi/hel2/tietokeskus/julkaisut/pdf/20_05_06_Tutkimuksia_1_Saukkonen.pdf [viitattu 2.9.2020].

Pitkänen, Ville; Saukkonen, Pasi & Westinen, Jussi (2019). Samaa vai eri maata? Tutkimus viiden kieliryhmän arvoista ja asenteista Suomessa. Helsinki: SKR

Pitkänen, Ville; Saukkonen, Pasi & Westinen, Jussi (2019). Ollako vai eikö olla? Tutkimus viiden kieliryhmän kiinnittymisestä Suomeen. Helsinki: SKR.

Taipale, Selja. (2023). Vilka faktorer påverkar invandrade förstagångskandidaternas intresse att ställa upp? : En analys av data från kommunalvalet 2017. Kandidatavhandling i statskunskap med förvaltning. Helsingfors: Helsingfors universitet.