Study title

Citizens' Opinion: Municipal Elections, Voting Intentions and Voting 2021

Dataset ID Number

FSD3926

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3926
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3926

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

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

Abstract

The study surveyed Finnish citizens' opinions and views on elections, voting, and COVID-19 measures. The data includes the first, third, and fourth rounds of four survey rounds. The data was collected as part of the Citizen Opinion Panel, which is part of The Finnish Research Infrastructure for Public Opinion (FIRIPO).

The first round of the survey examined respondents' societal participation over the past four years. This was followed by a question about respondents' opinions on postponing the 2021 municipal elections due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, respondents were asked about their voting behavior in the 2019 parliamentary elections. At the end of the first survey round, respondents' voting intentions for the 2021 municipal elections were assessed.

The third round of the survey examined respondents' voting behavior in the 2021 municipal elections. It inquired whether respondents voted in advance and which party's candidate they voted for.

The fourth round of the survey mapped out voting intentions for the actual voting day of the 2021 municipal elections. First, respondents were asked whether they intended to vote and which party's candidate they intended to vote for. Finally, the reasons why respondents might not vote in the elections were explored.

The background variables included are the respondent's age group, gender, educational level, native language, and region.

Keywords

COVID-19; democracy; elections; municipal elections; political attitudes; political participation; political parties; politicians; politics; voting; voting behaviour

Topic Classification

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

Funders

• Academy of Finland (345714)

Time Period Covered

2021

Collection Dates

2021-02-15 – 2021-06-13

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

People aged over 18 residing in Finland

Time Method

Cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Mixed probability and non-probability

The sample consists of over 4,000 participants in the Citizen Opinion Panel, most of whom were recruited using probability sampling. Some of the participants were recruited using non-probability sampling, for example via social media.

Collection Mode

Self-administered questionnaire: Web-based (CAWI)

Research Instrument

Structured questionnaire

Response Rate

73.3

66.7

33.5

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

Related Datasets

FSD3927 Citizens' Opinion: Municipal Elections and Covid-19 2021

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

The researchers have anonymized the data by removing responses to open-ended questions.

To prevent identification of respondents, the municipality variable was classified at FSD.

Weighting

The data includes a weight variable (weight) that adjusts the data to be more representative in terms of gender, age, education level, and election results. When calculating the weight, it was constrained so that it does not exceed the value of 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) & Strandberg, Kim (Åbo Akademi University) & Grönlund, Kimmo (Åbo Akademi University): Citizens' Opinion: Municipal Elections, Voting Intentions and Voting 2021 [dataset]. Data version 1.0 (2025-06-11). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. DOI: https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3926; URN: https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3926

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.