FSD3512 Alcohol and Drug Survey 2018
The dataset is (D) available only by permission from the data depositor/creator.
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Study title
Alcohol and Drug Survey 2018
Dataset ID Number
FSD3512
Persistent identifiers
https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3512https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3512
Data Type
Quantitative
Authors
- Karjalainen, Karoliina (Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare)
- Hakkarainen, Pekka (Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare)
- Aarnio, Anna-Riikka (Statistics Finland)
- Hokka, Päivi (Statistics Finland)
- Salasuo, Mikko (Finnish Youth Research Society. Finnish Youth Research Network)
Abstract
The 2018 Alcohol and Drug Survey studied the substance use of Finnish adult population as well as attitudes and opinions on drugs and drug policies. Additionally, the survey charted legal drug or medicinal product abuse and use of performance-enhancing drugs (doping).
The respondents were first asked about smoking and snus use. Alcohol use was charted by asking the respondents how often they drank and how much they tended to drink. The survey also carried a set of attitudinal statements about the health risks of different substances. The respondents were also asked if certain actions, such as polydrug use or growing cannabis plants, should be punishable by law. Regarding cannabis, the respondents were asked whether it should be legal to buy cannabis, and if it were legal, where it should be sold. The respondents' cannabis use was charted by asking them if they had used cannabis in the previous 12 months, and whether their cannabis use was recreational or medical. Ways of obtaining and using cannabis were investigated. The respondents were also asked if they knew people who grew cannabis or if they had grown cannabis themselves.
The respondents were asked which illegal drugs they would try if using them was not illegal, and whether they personally knew people who used illegal drugs. They were also asked if someone had offered them illegal drugs, and how easily they thought they could obtain drugs within 24 hours. Concerning the respondents' own drug use, they were asked if they had ever used any of the various drugs listed, such as cocaine or LSD. The respondents' recent drug use was charted by asking which illegal drugs they had used during last 12 months and the last 30 days. Furthermore, the respondents were asked if drug use had ever caused difficulties in different areas of their life.
One set of questions surveyed which legal drugs, if any, the respondents had used for non-medical purposes. Reasons for non-medical use of legal drugs were investigated. The respondents were also asked where they had obtained the drugs. Use of nitrous oxide and glues was examined. Polydrug use was investigated by asking the respondents which combinations of drugs they had used and what their reasons for using them were. Use of performance-enhancing drugs in sports (doping) was surveyed.
Opinions on drug use were probed with several statements, such as "Use of marijuana and hashish should be legal". The respondents were also asked if they feared that other people's drug use could cause them physical harm, and whether they considered drugs or alcohol to be the bigger social problem in Finland. The most important sources of information on drugs for the respondents were surveyed. The respondents' health was charted by asking them if they had been prescribed different medicines, such as anti-depressants or opiates. The respondents were also asked if they attributed any health problems to their alcohol or drug use. Finally, the respondents were asked how often they engaged in physical activities.
Background variables included the respondent's gender, age, type of municipality, marital status, household composition, education, and economic activity and occupational status.
Keywords
alcohol use; cannabis; drinking behaviour; drug abuse; health status; polydrug use; smoking; substance use
Topic Classification
- Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
- General health and well-being (CESSDA Topic Classification)
- Drug abuse, alcohol and smoking (CESSDA Topic Classification)
Series
Individual datasetsDistributor
Finnish Social Science Data Archive
Access
The dataset is (D) available only by permission from the data depositor/creator.
Data Collector
- Statistics Finland
Time Period Covered
2018
Collection Dates
2018-09-07 – 2018-12-27
Nation
Finland
Geographical Coverage
Finland
Analysis/Observation Unit Type
Individual
Universe
People permanently living in Finland aged 15 - 69 (excluding the Åland Islands and people in institutions)
Time Method
Longitudinal: Trend/Repeated cross-section
Sampling Procedure
Probability: Systematic random
The sample was divided by age into 15 - 39-year-olds and 40 - 69-year-olds. Furthermore, the sample was divided by area into those living in the area of Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority's (HSY) water services and those living outside of it. The sample included 7,000 people residing in Finland, who were drawn from the Finnish Population Information System with systematic random sampling. Of the 7,000 people, 3,229 responded to the survey.
Data collection began with an online survey, which was open for respondents throughout the whole data collection period. At a later point in data collection, the respondents were offered the possibility to respond to a paper questionnaire. In total, the respondents were contacted by mail four times: the first two letters were cover letters for the study, introducing the study and giving instructions and personal usernames for responding to the online survey. The two last letters included the paper questionnaire and a return envelope in addition to the personal username for the online survey. The respondents were also contacted with email remainders, if an email address could be found in the Population Information System. The respondents received an information sheet on the study and a packet of chewing gum with the first letter to motivate them to open the envelope. Additionally, respondents aged between 15 - 29 and 30 - 69 were contacted with targeted cover letters throughout data collection, with the letters formatted specifically for these age groups. This was largely done to appeal to the younger age groups who generally have a lower response rate. Age groups were also considered when scheduling the emails: an email containing a direct link to the online questionnaire was sent to respondents aged under 40 directly after they were first contacted. For respondents aged over 40, the email was sent only after the first paper questionnaire was sent to the respondents by mail. This was done so that respondents who might not use the Internet regularly would not feel that responding online was being forced on them. The researchers hoped that sending an email remainder would lower the threshold for responding as the direct link included in the email enabled the respondents to access the questionnaire directly without filling out their personal usernames on the login page.
Collection Mode
Self-administered questionnaire: Paper
Self-administered questionnaire: Web-based (CAWI)
Research Instrument
Structured questionnaire
Response Rate
46
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
Related Datasets
FSD3181 Alcohol and Drug Survey 2014
Completeness of Data and Restrictions
Open-ended responses left in the data were reviewed and, if necessary, identifiers were removed. Changes made at FSD are marked with [square brackets].
Open-ended responses to variable K85 were not delivered to FSD.
Weighting
The data contain two weight variables: [paino1] and [paino2]. The weights were created by using a calibration method. In the beginning, the sample was divided into two areas, the HSY water service area and the area outside the scope of HSY water services. In these main strata, the weights were separately estimated. A combination of four age categories and gender (4 age groups: 15-24, 25-39, 40-54, and 55-69), as well as the respondent's educational level (5 categories, educational levels 7 and 8 combined) was used to weight the HSY area. Outside the HSY area, statistical grouping of municipalities (3 categories) was additionally used. The weight expanding the sample to the population is called [paino1], and the analysis weight is called [paino2]. Their functions are identical, but the latter was scaled to sum to the sample total (i.e. the mean=1 and the sum equals the number of observations). A stratified sample should be used in statistical analysis so that sample variance does not grow unnecessarily large. The stratified sample variable has four values: 1 = HSY water service area, target population aged 15-39, 2 = area outside the scope of HSY water services, target population aged 15-39, 3 = HSY water service area, target population aged 40-69, 4 = area outside the scope of HSY water service, target population aged 40-69.
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
Karjalainen, Karoliina (Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare) & Hakkarainen, Pekka (Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare) & Aarnio, Anna-Riikka (Statistics Finland) & Hokka, Päivi (Statistics Finland) & Salasuo, Mikko (Finnish Youth Research Society): Alcohol and Drug Survey 2018 [dataset]. Version 1.0 (2021-06-21). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3512
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
The data may be distributed for research (including Master's and doctoral theses), but not for other theses, study or teaching purposes. A special permission is required to access the data.
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
Karjalainen K, Hakkarainen P & Salasuo M. Suomalaisten huumeiden käyttö ja huumeasenteet 2018. Tilastoraportti 2/2019, 25.2.2019. Terveyden ja hyvinvoinnin laitos. http://www.julkari.fi/handle/10024/137660
Related Publications
Leinonen, Lotta & Karttunen, Niina & Karjalainen, Karoliina (2023) Huonoksi koettu terveys ja reseptilääkkeet ovat yhteydessä monipäihdekäyttöön. Suom Lääkäril 2023; 78 : e36176 www.laakarilehti.fi/e36176
Study description in machine readable DDI-C 2.5 format
Metadata record is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.