FSD3541 Mustasaari Resident Survey on Municipal Referendums 2020

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Study title

Mustasaari Resident Survey on Municipal Referendums 2020

Alternative Title

Medborgarenkät i Korsholm 2020

Dataset ID Number

FSD3541

Persistent identifier

urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3541

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

  • Backström, Kim (Åbo Akademi University. Social Science Research Institute)
  • Karv, Thomas (Åbo Akademi University. Social Science Research Institute)

Abstract

In 2019, a referendum was held in the bilingual municipality of Mustasaari (Korsholm) regarding the proposed merger of the municipality with the neighbouring city of Vaasa. This survey charted the effects of the 2019 referendum on the municipality's societal climate as well as Mustasaari residents' opinions on referendums in general. The survey was conducted as part of a research project at the Åbo Akademi University Social Science Research Institute (Samforsk), funded by Högskolestiftelsen i Österbotten.

First, the respondents' opinions on consultative referendums in general were surveyed. Questions focused on the respondents' positive and negative attitudes towards referendums as well as their thoughts on whether voter turnout or majority approval (e.g. over 50 percent vs two-thirds majority) should be considered when determining a referendum morally binding.

Next, opinions on the 2019 referendum were examined. The respondents were asked whether they thought it had been the right decision to hold the referendum, how they had voted, and whether similar referendums should be held regarding other matters in the municipality. Additionally, the survey charted the effects of the referendum process on the respondents' voting behaviour in the upcoming municipal elections, their relationships with friends and family, and their opinions on various aspects related to the municipality of Mustasaari (e.g. municipal representatives, the city of Vaasa, and relations between language groups in Mustasaari).

Finally, the respondents' views on politics and society in general were surveyed with questions on, for example, voting, politicians, and trust.

Background variables included the respondent's gender, age, mother tongue, level of education, status in employment, role in the municipality, and whether the respondent had attended the events organised by the municipality to facilitate discussion before the referendum.

Keywords

democracy; local government; local government policy; political attitudes; referendums; trust; voting

Topic Classification

Series

Individual datasets

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

The dataset is (B) available for research, teaching and study.

Data Collector

  • Karv, Thomas (Åbo Akademi University. Social Science Research Institute)

Time Period Covered

2020

Collection Dates

2020-10-26 – 2020-11-30

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland, Mustasaari

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

Mustasaari residents aged over 16

Time Method

Cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Total universe/Complete enumeration

The survey was sent to all residents of Mustasaari aged over 16. The sample consists of the residents who completed the survey.

Collection Mode

Self-administered questionnaire: Paper

Self-administered questionnaire: Web-based (CAWI)

Research Instrument

Structured questionnaire

Response Rate

21.5

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: Swedish.

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

Based on paper survey responses, a number of respondents appear to have had some difficulties understanding questions 2a and 2b. The more extreme choice (always/never morally binding) was coded if a respondent chose more than one alternative in these two questions.

The entire intended sample was not reached because of restrictions regarding the access to contact information from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.

A weight variable was created to weight the data to be representative of the Mustasaari population in terms of age, gender, and mother tongue.

To prevent identification of respondents, open-ended responses to variables denoting the respondent's mother tongue and status in employment as well as open-ended comments on the questionnaire were removed by the researcher. Additionally, the variables denoting age and level of education were coarsened by the researcher. The variable denoting the part of Mustasaari in which the respondent lived as well as open-ended responses to response option "other, please specify" in the variable denoting the respondent's role in the municipality were removed at FSD.

Weighting

The data contain a weight variable [VIKT]. The statistical weight was created by the researchers to correct for potential bias due to the underrepresentation of certain population groups in the sample when considering the population of the Mustasaari municipality. The 2016 demographics of Mustasaari were used for information on the population structure of the municipality. The weight corrects for differences between gender, age, and mother tongue.

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

Backström, Kim (Åbo Akademi University) & Karv, Thomas (Åbo Akademi University): Mustasaari Resident Survey on Municipal Referendums 2020 [dataset]. Version 1.0 (2022-06-17). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3541

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 Materials

Karv, T. & Backström, K. (2021). Kansanäänestyksen seuraukset: oppeja Mustasaaresta. Institutet för samhällsforskning vid Åbo Akademi. https://www.doria.fi/handle/10024/181089 [viitattu 28.6.2022]

Related Publications Tooltip

Karv, T., & Backström, K. (2021). Kansanäänestyksen seuraukset: oppeja Mustasaaresta. Institutet för samhällsforskning vid Åbo Akademi. https://www.doria.fi/handle/10024/181089

Karv, T., & Backström, K. (2021). Följderna av en folkomröstning: Lärdomar från Korsholm. Institutet för samhällsforskning vid Åbo Akademi. https://www.doria.fi/handle/10024/181088

Thomas Karv, Kim Backström & Kim Strandberg (2022) Consultative referendums and democracy - assessing the short-term effects on political support of a referendum on a municipal merger. Local Government Studies.

Thomas Karv & Kim Strandberg (2023). Only losers use excuses? Exploring the association between the winner-loser gap and referendum attitudes following a local referendum, Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties

Study description in machine readable DDI-C 2.5 format

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