Study title

Follow-up on County Elections 2022

Dataset ID Number

FSD3709

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3709
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3709

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Borg, Sami (Tampere University)
• Nurmela, Sakari (Kantar TNS Finland)
• Pehkonen, Juhani (Kantar TNS Finland)

Other Identification/Acknowledgements

• Mykkänen, Antti (Foundation for Municipal Development)
• Pelkonen, Veli (Foundation for Municipal Development)

Abstract

The survey studied voting behaviour in the 2021 county elections in Finland. The data were collected just after the elections.

First, the respondents' opinions on the importance of various elections (e.g. parliamentary, presidential, county, municipal) were surveyed. The respondents were asked whether they had followed election reporting, campaigning and advertising in different media (including the social media such as Facebook). Opinions on the importance of the different services provided by the wellbeing services counties and topics related to the wellbeing services counties were explored.

Voting behaviour was investigated by asking whether the respondents had voted in the county elections just held, which party they had voted for and whether the candidate or the party had been more important in the choice. Information sources used for the voting choice were studied. Those who had voted were asked why they voted, which factors and issues had influenced their candidate choice, and at which stage they had made their final choice. The respondents who had voted were also asked whether they had considered voting for candidates from any of the other parties, and which parties they in general would consider voting for. Those who had not voted were asked which factors (e.g. 'I had trouble finding a suitable candidate for myself”, 'I did not have enough information about topics that are important for me in order to make a decision”) had contributed to that decision.

Next, views on the parties' election campaigns were surveyed. The respondents' views on the desirability of different directions for the future of Finland were investigated with a series of statements (e.g. Finland where there is more law and order, Finland with a smaller public sector, Finland with lower income inequality). The respondents were also asked to assess how left-wing and right-wing several political parties in Finland are. Additionally, the respondents were asked whether they had voted in the 2021 municipal elections and which party/group the candidate they had voted for was from, how well they thought Sanna Marin's government had done so far, and which party/group they would vote for if the parliamentary elections were held right now.

Finally, the respondents' trust in different decision-makers (e.g. national decision-makers, decision-makers in the European Union, decision-makers in the respondent's municipality). The future prospects of the respondents' municipalities of residence were examined in terms of various factors (e.g. the municipality's financial situation, education opportunities, the availability of health and social services). The respondents' views were also charted on various potential threats (e.g. terrorism, mass unemployment, social inequality) that Finland could face in the next five to ten years. In addition, the respondents were asked to name five of the most important languages that Finnish people should learn better than they currently do.

Background variables included the respondent's gender, age, statistical grouping of municipalities, membership in a federation of trade unions, highest education level, household's annual gross income, and economic activity and occupational status.

Keywords

electoral campaigns; electoral candidates; political attitudes; political behaviour; political interest; political parties; voting; voting advice applications; voting behaviour

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Elections (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Political behaviour and attitudes (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

Follow-ups on Finnish National and Local Elections (GallupChannel)

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

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

Data Collector

• Kantar TNS Finland

Data Producers

• Kantar TNS Finland
• Tampere University
• Foundation for Municipal Development

Time Period Covered

2022

Collection Dates

2022-01-28 – 2022-02-02

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

People aged 18-79 eligible to vote in county elections; county elections were not held in Helsinki and the Åland Islands (excluding the Åland Islands and Helsinki)

Time Method

Longitudinal: Trend/Repeated cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Probability: Multistage

The data were collected from eligible respondents on Kantar TNS's GallupKanava internet panel. Kantar TNS's GallupKanava is used to carry out commissioned surveys. The panel is made up of recruited Finnish citizens aged 15 and older. Self-recruitment is not possible. The size of the panel is approximately 30,000 individuals. The comprehensive structure of the panel ensures suitable respondents for all survey needs and that different types of attitudinal and population groups are represented in the surveys. The sampling was carried out as a 3-stage stratified sample. A total of 1,398 respondents completed the survey.

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

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

The archived dataset does not include the questionnaire form.

Weighting

The data are weighted to match the population eligible to vote in county elections in terms of key socio-demographic factors (age, gender, and region). The data have also been weighted according to the results of the county elections when examining the data based on the party voted for.

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

Borg, Sami (Tampere University) & Nurmela, Sakari (Kantar TNS Finland) & Pehkonen, Juhani (Kantar TNS Finland): Follow-up on County Elections 2022 [dataset]. Data version 1.0 (2023-12-20). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. DOI: https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3709; URN: https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3709

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

Borg, Sami (2023) Aluevaalitutkimus 2022. Tutkimus Suomen ensimmäisistä aluevaaleista. Kunnallisalan kehittämissäätiön Tutkimusjulkaisu-sarjan julkaisu nro 116. Helsinki: KAKS.