The Barometers for Swedish-speaking Finns survey opinions, attitudes, habits and trends among the Swedish-speaking population of Finland. The first barometer was fielded in 2002, and since then the barometer has been conducted once every year. FSD collections cover data from 2002 to 2009 and from 2019 onwards.
Since 2019, the surveys targeted at the Swedish-speaking population of Finland have been conducted using a citizen panel consisting of Swedish-speaking Finns (Den finlandssvenska medborgarpanelen Barometern). The panel is administered by Åbo Akademi University's Social Science Research Institute and is part of the Finnish Research Infrastructure for Public Opinion (FIRIPO) funded by the Research Council of Finland.
The questionnaire surveyed the attitudes and opinions of Swedish-speaking Finns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey is a continuation of the earlier Barometer for Swedish-speaking Finns B2/2020. The data was collected as part of the Citizen Panel of Swedish-speaking Finns (Barometern), which is part of The Finnish Research Infrastructure for Public Opinion (FIRIPO).
First, respondents were asked how worried they were about their own health and the health of their loved ones because of COVID-19. They were then asked to rate the measures taken by the Finnish government and other institutions in society to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease and how well the different actors have succeeded in doing so. In relation to these measures, respondents were also asked which government recommendations they had followed or implemented. They were also asked how the coronavirus pandemic has affected their lives and how often they have travelled either abroad or in Finland. Finally, respondents were asked about their thoughts and opinions on the postponement of municipal elections, the COVID-19 vaccines and the opening up of society.
Background variables included the respondent's NUTS3 region of residence, gender, mother tongue, level of education, occupational status and age.
The survey was answered by 2960 members of the Citizen Panel of Swedish-speaking Finns (Barometern). 35,000 randomly selected Swedish-speaking Finns received an invitation by post to join the Citizen Panel of Swedish-speaking Finns in summer 2019. It was also possible to register for the panel themselves. In the end, more than 4,700 people registered for the panel.