Tekijät

• Statistics Finland
• Prime Minister's Office

Asiasanat

COVID-19, bacterial and virus diseases, communications, dissemination of information, emotional states, energy consumption, energy prices, foreign policy, health, income, international conflict, parliamentary elections, regulations, trust, voting intention, war, well-being (health)

Sisällön kuvaus

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 on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, energy conservation, Finnish foreign policy, and the 2023 parliamentary election in Finland.

The second collection round of 2023 surveyed the respondents' trust in other people and various institutions (e.g. the Finnish Government, the health care system, the media, and the Finnish Defence Forces). The respondents' trust in other people and their satisfaction with the functioning of democracy in Finland were also charted. The respondents' state of mind was examined with questions on various matters relating to health, well-being, and their situation in life. The questions covered, for example, the respondents' own mental well-being, whether they were worried about the adequacy of their income, their confidence in their future, and experiences of stress. Additionally, the respondents were asked to evaluate whether an atmosphere of crisis prevailed amongst Finns.

The next set of questions focused on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The respondents were asked how concerned they were about the crisis in Ukraine and its effects and whether they were concerned that the war might expand beyond Ukraine. Opinions on the economic sanctions imposed on Russia by the EU, whether Finland should be ready to receive significant numbers of refugees from Ukraine if necessary, and whether the uncertainty caused by the Ukraine crisis had impacted the respondents' consumer behaviour were charted.

On the topic of energy conservation, the respondents were asked how concerned they were about the changes in energy prices, whether they felt they had enough information about ways to conserve energy in their everyday lives, whether they believed that by taking energy-saving measures they could make a difference in the availability of energy during the coming months, and whether the increased price of electricity had caused financial difficulties for their household. Additionally, the measures the respondents had taken to lower their energy consumption during the past month (e.g. lowered the room temperature at home, driven less, reduced the use of electronic appliances at home, taken shorter showers) were surveyed.

Concern over the coronavirus pandemic and its effects were charted. Compliance with coronavirus restrictions was examined by asking the respondents whether in the past week 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 contact with other people. The respondents were also asked how necessary they felt 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.

Voting intentions in the 2023 parliamentary election in Finland were surveyed by asking the respondents whether they intended to vote in the election, whether they intended to vote during the early voting period or on election day, and whether they felt that by voting they could have an impact on matters that were important to them and the people close to them. Interest in Finnish foreign policy and international relations were also surveyed with questions on whether the respondents' interest in Finnish foreign policy and international relations had changed over the past 12 months. Views on the current state of Finland's foreign policy and international relations were charted, and the respondents were asked about the ways in which they felt they could have an impact on Finland's foreign policy and international relations (e.g. voting in parliamentary elections, protesting, participating in party politics). Additionally, the impact that Finland's application to become a member state of NATO had had on the respondents' sense of safety was investigated.

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