Study title

Citizen's opinion: Status of the Swedish language 2020

Dataset ID Number

FSD3908

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3908
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3908

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Finnish Research Infrastructure for Public Opinion (FIRIPO)
• Grönlund , Kimmo (Åbo Akademi University. Social Science Research Institute)
• Strandberg, Kim (Åbo Akademi University. Social Science Research Institute)

Abstract

The survey explores Finnish people's views on the status of the Swedish language in Finland. The data was collected as part of the Citizens' Opinion panel, which is part of The Finnish Research Infrastructure for Public Opinion (FIRIPO).

First, respondents were asked for their views on statements concerning, among other things, the position of Swedish in Finnish society, the advantages and disadvantages of bilingualism, the provision of Swedish-language services, language choices at school and the position of Swedish-speaking Finns. Respondents were then asked whether they had any Swedish-speaking relatives, friends or colleagues. Finally, respondents assessed their own Swedish language skills.

Background variables included the respondent's age, gender, NUTS3 region of residence, highest level of education, main activity and political party preference.

Keywords

attitudes; bilingualism; language; language policy; minority language users; social systems

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Language and linguistics (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Minorities (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

FIRIPO Citizens' Opinion

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

The dataset is (D) available only by permission from the data depositor/creator.

Data Collector

• Citizens' Opinion

Funders

• Academy of Finland (345714)

Time Period Covered

2020

Collection Dates

2020-11-26 – 2020-12-02

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

Finnish citizens aged over 18 residing in Finland

Time Method

Cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Mixed probability and non-probability

The sample was collected using two methods. First, a random sample of 40,000 Finns was obtained from the Finnish Population Information System and a physical invitation letter was sent to them by post. In addition, the survey was advertised on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, as well as in three major Finnish online newspapers (Helsingin Sanomat, Ilta-Sanomat and Iltalehti). This survey was sent only to Finnish-speaking Citizens' Opinion panellists, of whom there were 1,899 at the time the survey was sent.

Collection Mode

Self-administered questionnaire: Web-based (CAWI)

Research Instrument

Structured questionnaire

Response Rate

61.2

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 data includes some respondents who did not answer any of the questions.

For identification reasons, the researchers have removed the open-ended responses from the data.

As the survey was incorrectly answered by persons under the age of 18, their answers have been removed from the archived data.

Weighting

The data contains a weight variable that weights the data so that it is representative of the sample in terms of gender, age and education. The weight factor is constrained not to exceed value 5.

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

Finnish Research Infrastructure for Public Opinion (FIRIPO) & Grönlund , Kimmo (Åbo Akademi University) & Strandberg, Kim (Åbo Akademi University): Citizen's opinion: Status of the Swedish language 2020 [dataset]. Data version 1.0 (2025-05-12). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. DOI: https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3908; URN: https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3908

Deposit Requirement

Notify FSD of all publications where you have used the data by sending the citation information to user-services.fsd@tuni.fi.

Special Terms and Conditions for Access

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

Disclaimer

The original data creators and the archive bear no responsibility for any results or interpretations arising from the reuse of the data.

FSD has not been informed of any publications related to the data.