Study title

Citizens' Opinion: Finnish Views on Activities of Citizens' Jury on Climate Actions 2021

Dataset ID Number

FSD3928

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3928
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3928

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Finnish Research Infrastructure for Public Opinion (FIRIPO)
• Jäske, Maija (Åbo Akademi University)

Abstract

The data relates to the Citizens' Jury funded by the Ministry of the Environment, which convened in spring 2021 to discuss the Medium-term Climate Policy Plan (KAISU). The data was used to examine Finnish citizens' views on the functioning of the KAISU Citizens' Jury through an experimental design. 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 are asked to evaluate statements concerning current political issues, such as their views on the social and health care reform, cuts to public services, and efforts to combat climate change in Finland.

In the next section of the survey, the respondents in the experimental group read a short text concerning climate policy decision-making in Finland. The survey used a randomized experimental design in which the experimental groups were presented with a text containing four different statements (Q4, Q5, Q6, and Q8) in two different forms (versions A and B), with varying word choices. Four aspects were varied in the text: the organizer of the Citizens' Jury (the Ministry of the Environment or university researchers), the selection method of the Jury (emphasis on diversity and representativeness or no mention), the Jury's preparation (prior familiarization with research data or no mention), and an example of the Jury commenting on the Ministry's proposed measures (an example of the Jury's potential to influence or no example). Additionally, a control group C was included, which was not presented with any text about the Citizens' Jury. However, the control group was still asked questions about the Citizens' Jury. For example, they were asked whether they consider the Citizens' Jury to be a reliable method in the preparation of Finland's climate policy and whether they believe that the Jury is capable of producing good proposals for policy development.

Following this, the respondents were asked to evaluate various statements related to climate policy. These included questions about whether Finnish climate policy is fair and equitable, whether climate change should be tackled more actively, and how much they trust different actors (the Ministry of the Environment, researchers, companies, the government) to mitigate climate change. The survey then explored the respondents' general political views, including whether political decision-makers take citizens' views into account in their decision-making and whether citizens are capable of deliberating on political issues. At the end of the survey, respondents were asked about their general trust in other people as well as their trust in various sources of climate-related information (e.g., the government, officials at the Ministry of the Environment, citizens' juries, social media, universities, and research institutes).

The background variables included are the respondent's age, gender, native language, education, region, household's gross annual income, political interest, and political party preference.

Keywords

attitudes; citizen participation; citizenship; climate change; economic policy; political participation; social influence; trust

Topic Classification

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

2021-06-16 – 2021-06-30

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 consisted of over 4,000 members of the Citizens' Opinion Panel, most of whom were recruited through probability sampling. Some participants were recruited via other means, such as social media.

Collection Mode

Experiment

Self-administered questionnaire: Web-based (CAWI)

Research Instrument

Structured questionnaire

Response Rate

67.6

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 survey includes an experimental design in which each respondent is randomly assigned a variable that determines which statement about the Citizens' Jury will be presented to them. The experimental group variables are constructed so that numbers 1-4 correspond in the same order to the text sections Q4, Q5, Q6, and Q8 in the questionnaire. The letter A/B following the variable indicates which version of the text (e.g., 1A = Q4A and 1B = Q4B) was presented to the respondent.

The data is overrepresented by individuals aged over 65.

Weighting

There are no weight variables in the data.

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) & Jäske, Maija (Åbo Akademi University): Citizens' Opinion: Finnish Views on Activities of Citizens' Jury on Climate Actions 2021 [dataset]. Data version 1.0 (2025-10-03). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. DOI: https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3928; URN: https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3928

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.