Study title

Citizens' Opinion: Municipal Elections and Covid-19 2021

Dataset ID Number

FSD3927

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3927
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3927

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

This is the second of four survey rounds, which surveyed Finnish citizens' opinions and views on the elections and related topics. This survey focused on the 2021 municipal elections and COVID-19 measures. The data was collected as part of the Citizen Opinion Panel, which is part of The Finnish Research Infrastructure for Public Opinion (FIRIPO).

At the beginning of the survey, respondents were asked for their opinions on the effectiveness of measures implemented in Finland to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Then, they were asked for their views on how well different parties had succeeded in their COVID-19 measures. After that, the survey moved on to questions related to the municipal elections. Initially, respondents were asked about their previous voting behavior in the 2017 municipal elections. Subsequently, they were asked for their opinions on the postponement of the 2021 municipal elections from April to June, as well as their views on the impact of the postponement on voting behavior.

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

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

• Citizens' Opinion

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

62.1

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

FSD3926 Citizens' Opinion: Municipal Elections, Voting Intentions and Voting 2021

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

The researchers have anonymized the data by removing respondent's municipal information.

To prevent identification of respondents, the variable W2_K4_2_11_TEXT containing open-ended response to the response option "Other, please specify" was removed from the data at FSD.

Weighting

The data includes a weight variable (WeightDEMOG) that adjusts the data based on sociodemographic background variables, and a weight variable (WeightPOLIT) that adjusts the data based on both sociodemographic variables and the party voted for in the 2017 municipal elections.

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 and Covid-19 2021 [dataset]. Data version 1.0 (2025-06-03). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. DOI: https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3927; URN: https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3927

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.