Authors

• Sipinen, Josefina (Tampereen yliopisto. Politiikan tutkimus)
• Kestilä-Kekkonen, Elina (Tampereen yliopisto. Politiikan tutkimus)
• Borg, Sami (Tampereen yliopisto. Politiikan tutkimus)
• von Schoulz, Åsa (University of Helsinki)

Keywords

COVID-19, election campaign financing, electoral candidates, immigrants, immigration, local goverment elections, political behaviour, political campaigns, political parties, politics

Abstract

The study charted the background and motives of Finnish, Swedish and foreign language speaking election candidates in the 2021 Finnish municipal elections, as well as the candidates' networks and support for standing for the election.

First, reasons behind the decision to stand for election in the municipal elections (e.g. the will to help others, to acquire useful skills for work, to implement the political values of their party) and what or who (e.g. friends, trade union, employer) had encouraged the candidates to stand for election were charted. The respondents' political opinions and ideology were examined with attitudinal statements regarding the direction of Finland's future, such as lower taxation or more environmentally friendly policies. The respondents were asked whose representative they thought they would be as local councillors (e.g. those who had voted for them or all residents of the municipality), and their satisfaction with democracy in Finland and their municipality was examined as well.

The respondents' political campaign was examined with questions concerning, for example, which activities were part of their campaign (e.g. canvassing, direct mailing, personal advertisements), how much time and money they had spent on the campaign, how the funding had been spent (e.g. for campaign videos or radio/TV advertising), and whether they targeted any specific groups in their campaign. The help and support the respondents received from their family, friends or acquaintances in different aspects of their political campaign (e.g. coordinating schedule and budget, maintaining social media accounts, moral support) was surveyed. Opinions on the effects that the coronavirus pandemic and the postponing of the municipal elections had on the elections were charted. The respondents were also asked whether they had noticed or experienced electoral disruption (e.g. spreading misinformation, data breaches and different data leaks) during the municipal elections.

The respondents were asked whether they had stood for election in various different elections before, whether they had been selected in those elections and how many times. The factors behind them being chosen as a candidate of a party or constituency association (e.g. professional experience, position within the party, extensive local network of acquaintances) were examined. The respondents were also asked whether they currently held or had previously held positions of trust in their municipality of residence or participated in the work of different organisations. Additionally, the support the respondents had received from their party or constituency association, the position of women in the respondents' party or constituency association, and the position of women in the municipal politics of the respondents' municipality were investigated.

Background variables included, among others, the respondent's gender, age, information on their own and their parents' country of birth, age when moved to Finland, reasons for moving to Finland, mother tongue, Finnish and Swedish language skills, level of education, marital status, household composition, type of municipality of residence, length of residence in the municipality of candidacy, occupational status, left-right political self-placement, income, perceived social class and religious affiliation.