A postal survey collected every five years since 1995 at the University of Turku Unit of Social Policy. The principal idea of the survey was to replicate surveys that in other countries (for example in England and in Sweden) were constructed to analyze people's perceptions of poverty, and based on this, analyze the extent of poverty. With the data, it is possible to study people's perceptions on the necessities of life, deprivation in different dimensions, employment status and employment history, the social status of childhood home, subjective well-being and attitudes towards the welfare state and welfare recipients.
The aim of the survey was to get a picture of Finns' financial well-being. Respondents were asked about their housing situation and their satisfaction with their current standard of living.
Respondents were asked about the necessity or non-necessity of various goods and services for today's Finnish adults. Respondents were also asked whether they considered certain goods and services necessary for themselves. Among other things, these included a mobile phone, a car, clothing, eating out, home furnishings, getting a haircut, home insurance, and health services.
Respondents reported on how financial matters are handled in their family and whether there are income differences between spouses. Attitudes towards social security benefits and poverty were explored, for example by asking about income support clients or those in need of income support, the minimum income and whether the income support is sufficient as it is. Finally, respondents indicated how much they have in terms of income, expenses and loans.
Background variables in the data include year of birth, gender, marital status, type of housing, size of household and number of children, region of residence at age 14 and at present, highest level of education, main activity of self and spouse, socio-economic status and monthly income of the whole family.
The survey was conducted as a postal survey with a sample of 4,000 respondents. The sample of the data was taken from the Population Register Centre's register by random sampling. The survey was conducted in three stages, with a questionnaire and two reminder letters sent to respondents.