Authors

• Laihiala, Tuomo (Tampere University. Faculty of Social Sciences)
• Saari, Juho (Tampere University. Faculty of Social Sciences)
• Uusitalo, Hannu

Keywords

housing, interpersonal relations, leisure time, living conditions, political participation, quality of life, social networks, standard of living, well-being (health), working conditions

Abstract

This survey is a partial repeat of Erik Allardt's internationally renowned 1972 welfare survey (FSD1017). The survey charted various dimensions of welfare in Finland: living standards, loyalties, experiences of self-realisation, alienation, happiness and dissatisfaction. This repeat of the 1972 survey was funded by a Finnish Cultural Foundation grant from the Paavo Koskinen Fund.

Questions covered, among other topics, housing, work, employment, social participation, equality, contrasts between population groups, and health. Additionally, the respondents were asked about their friendships, how many friends they had, how long their friendships lasted, and how intense their friendships were. Relationships with family and neighbours were examined, and the respondents were asked about their hobbies, how they spent their leisure time, and how politically active they were. The survey also included 18 constructed variables (variables starting with k) that related to Allardt's indicators of welfare and well-being (having, loving, being).

Background variables included the respondent's gender, age, marital status, occupation/status in employment, income bracket, situation in life, number of children living in the household and their age groups, type of accommodation, regional variables, political party preference, and household size and income bracket.