Study title

Media and Power 2019

Dataset ID Number

FSD3529

Persistent identifier

urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3529

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Reunanen, Esa (Tampere University. Communication Sciences Unit)
• Kunelius, Risto (Tampere University. Communication Sciences Unit)

Abstract

The survey charted the relationship between political decision-making and the media in Finland. The survey was conducted as part of the 'Mediatization of governance. A study on media power in economic and environmental policy networks' (MeGo) research project, funded by the Academy of Finland. The respondents included people in influential positions in eight different sectors: trade and industry, politics, government, justice system, police, trade unions, research, and civic and cultural activities.

First, the respondents' views were examined on various statements regarding political decision-making in Finland, for example, whether policy-makers at the national level aimed to make decisions that would benefit all Finns and whether citizens' opinions were nowadays better conveyed to policy-makers through the media than through political parties. The respondents were asked about the source of their own authority and influence (e.g. their official position, their organisation's financial resources, their expertise, or their media presence and public image) as well as their opinions on how the authority or influence of various public actors in Finland (e.g. trade unions, EU, social media, the church) had changed in the past decade.

Next, the respondents were asked how often they followed traditional or online media, e.g. different newspapers, news broadcasts, or discussion forums. The respondents' opinions on their communication with journalists, e.g. whether they thought being contacted by journalists was more intrusive than useful, were surveyed, and the respondents were asked how often they personally appeared on various new outlets (e.g. nationwide TV channels, interviews in newspapers). Additionally, the respondents' work-related social media presence was charted, and they were asked how often they had been subjected to offensive feedback or hate speech because of their job. Finally, the respondents' views were examined on various statements regarding their and their organisation's communication with and through the media, the influence of the media on their and their organisation's actions, and the characteristics of public discussion and journalism in the context of decision-making.

Background variables included the respondent's age group, sector of activity, position, and gender.

Keywords

authority; communications; decision making; journalism; mass media; political power; politics; social media; social systems; trust

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Media (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Government, political systems and organisations (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

Individual datasets

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

The dataset is (A) openly available for all users without registration (CC BY 4.0).

Data Collector

• Reunanen, Esa (Tampere University)

Time Period Covered

2019

Collection Dates

2019-02-07 – 2019-04-17

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

Representatives of the Finnish decision-making system

Time Method

Cross-section ad-hoc follow-up

Sampling Procedure

Non-probability: Purposive

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

Related Datasets

FSD2504 Media and Power 2009

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

To prevent identification of respondents, information on the gender of MPs and MEPs was removed.

The archived data do not include open-ended variables and open-ended responses of the type 'other, please specify'.

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

Reunanen, Esa (Tampere University) & Kunelius, Risto (Tampere University): Media and Power 2019 [dataset]. Version 1.0 (2022-07-19). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3529

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

Reunanen, Esa & Kunelius, Risto (2021) Medioitunut valta ja politiikan paluu. Kyselytutkimus suomalaispäättäjien suhteesta mediaan 2009 ja 2019. Tampere: Tampere University Press. https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-359-030-4