Authors

• Statistics Finland
• Prime Minister's Office

Keywords

dissemination of information, emotional states, government policy, income, international conflict, political attitudes, public finance, racism, rural areas, trust, urban areas, war, well-being (health)

Abstract

The Citizens' Pulse surveys examine Finnish attitudes and opinions on current issues. Main themes in the surveys include the activity of authorities, future expectations, trust, and the respondents' own state of mind. This collection round also included questions on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, living in a rural, urban or archipelago area, racism and issues that the Finnish government should address.

The ninth collection round of 2024 surveyed the respondents' trust in other people and various institutions (e.g. the Finnish Government, the health care system, the media, and the Finnish Defence Forces). The respondents were asked to evaluate how fair or unfair they thought Finnish society was at present, and their state of mind was examined with questions on various matters relating to health and well-being. The questions covered, for example, the respondents' own mental well-being, whether they were worried about the adequacy of their income, their confidence in their future, and experiences of stress. Additionally, the respondents were asked to evaluate whether an atmosphere of crisis prevailed amongst Finns. The respondents' views were investigated on which societal issues (e.g. promotion of climate action, national defence, poverty reduction, effective healthcare, operating conditions of businesses and investment opportunities) the Finnish government should focus on in the near future.

The next set of questions focused on the Russian invasion of Ukraine and national security in Finland. The respondents were asked how concerned they were about the crisis in Ukraine and its effects, and whether they were concerned that the war might expand beyond Ukraine. The respondents were also asked whether they were concerned that Russia might take military action against Finland or try to interfere with the functioning of Finnish society. Opinions on the economic sanctions imposed on Russia by the EU and whether Finland should be ready to receive significant numbers of refugees from Ukraine if necessary were charted. The respondents were also asked whether they had noticed any cyber security issues or instances where purposefully misleading claims based on misinformation were spread on social media or online over the previous month.

Questions were also asked about racism, prevention of racism, equality between people of different ethnic backgrounds, and relations between different population groups in Finnish society. It was charted whether the respondents have heard of the Government's 'Action, not only words' campaign against racism. Finally, questions were asked about living in different areas of Finland and the attractiveness of different areas. The respondents were asked about their preferred place of residence and how long they had lived in the the countryside, town and archipelago areas.

Background variables included the language responded in, the respondent's gender, age group, NUTS3 region of residence, highest level of education, household composition, and perceived financial situation of household.