Authors

• Statistics Finland
• Prime Minister's Office

Keywords

COVID-19, bacterial and virus diseases, communications, dissemination of information, emotional states, health, income, regulations, social security, trust, vaccination, well-being (health)

Abstract

The Citizens' Pulse surveys examine Finnish attitudes and opinions in the context of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). Main themes in the surveys include the activity and communication of authorities, compliance with regulations, future expectations, trust, and the respondents' own state of mind. This collection round also included questions about the social security reform (2020-2027) in Finland.

The second collection round of 2022 surveyed the respondents' opinions on the reliability of the information provided by various Finnish authorities (e.g. the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare) and members of various groups (e.g. health care employees, researchers) on the coronavirus crisis. The respondents were asked to evaluate how fair or unfair they thought Finnish society was at present, and their state of mind was examined with questions on various matters relating to health and well-being. The questions covered, for example, whether the respondents were worried about their own risk or the risk of people close to them contracting COVID-19, the availability of health care for them and people close to them for issues unrelated to COVID-19, their own mental well-being, and whether they felt their lives were meaningful. Additionally, the respondents were asked about their concerns in regard to livelihood and everyday life (e.g. whether they were worried about the adequacy of their income or the income of people close to them, the uncertainty regarding how long the exceptional circumstances would last, and their children's schooling). The respondents' confidence in their future and experiences of stress were surveyed, and the respondents were asked to evaluate whether an atmosphere of crisis prevailed amongst Finns.

Next, the respondents opinions on the availability, reliability and accuracy of the information provided by Finnish authorities on the coronavirus crisis was charted. Compliance with coronavirus restrictions was examined by asking the respondents whether they had followed the restrictions and recommendations set by authorities for preventing transmission of the virus, including maintaining safe distances, wearing a face mask, and minimising contacts with people outside immediate family and friends. The respondents were also asked whether they had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and how necessary they felt that it was to follow measures such as wearing a mask and maintaining safe distances after receiving two or three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. The respondents were surveyed on how useful they thought several measures were in preventing the spread of COVID-19 (e.g. testing yourself with rapid antigen at-home tests, avoiding public events, and using a COVID-19 certificate to enter restaurants and events), and how long they would be willing to comply with the measures. The respondents were also asked whether they thought that the current schedule for lifting COVID-19 restrictions was too soon, too late, or well-timed.

Opinions on the social security reform in Finland were examined by asking the respondents how much they agreed or disagreed with several statements on the topic of social security (e.g. I trust that the majority of people participate in society according to their own abilities and the possibilities afforded by them, An unemployed jobseeker should have the right to refuse a job that creates a significant amount of CO2 emissions, and Environmentally friendly choices are not financially easy for everyone which is why social security should encourage people to make environmentally friendly choices).

Background variables included the respondent's gender, age group, NUTS3 region of residence, highest level of education, household composition, and perceived financial situation of household.