Study title

Barometer for Swedish-speaking Finns B12/2023

Dataset ID Number

FSD3949

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3949
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3949

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Lindell, Marina (Åbo Akademi University. Social Science Research Institute)
• Finnish Research Infrastructure for Public Opinion (FIRIPO)

Abstract

The data was used to map the voting intentions of Swedish-speaking Finns in the 2023 parliamentary elections, as well as opinions on politics and statements concerning citizen participation. The data was collected as part of the Citizen Panel of Swedish-speaking Finns (Barometern), which is part of The Finnish Research Infrastructure for Public Opinion (FIRIPO).

The survey began by examining the respondents' voting intentions for the 2023 parliamentary elections. They were asked, for example, whether they intend to vote, whether the party or the candidate is more important when voting, and what factors influence their choice of candidate and party. Next, the respondents were asked for their opinions on political statements, such as 'decision-makers should be bound by voters' demands, even if it threatens future generations' and 'political leaders should focus on solving future problems, even if it means additional costs for current taxpayers.' Additionally, the respondents were asked to estimate how much they themselves—and Finns in general—would be willing to sacrifice to combat climate change.

After this, the respondents were asked whether they had engaged in various forms of civic participation within the past four years, or whether they could imagine doing so—for example, by signing a citizens' initiative. They were also asked about their trust in different institutions and whether people in general can be trusted. Finally, the survey explored how well certain statements described the respondents themselves. Examples of such statements included: 'I quickly notice if someone in a group feels uncomfortable' and 'Others often say I'm cold, even though I don't always understand why.

The background variables in the dataset are gender, language, year of birth, age, level of education, labor market status, region, classified age, education classified into three categories, self-assessed health status, marital status, religiosity, income level, type of residential area, and whether the respondent has children or grandchildren.

Keywords

attitudes; citizen participation; elections; institutions; parliamentary elections; politics; voting; voting behaviour

Topic Classification

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

Series

Barometers for Swedish-speaking Finns

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

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

Data Collector

• Citizen Panel of Swedish-speaking Finns

Funders

• The Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland

Time Period Covered

2023

Collection Dates

2023-03-07 – 2023-03-22

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

People residing in Finland (including Åland) aged 18 and over who have Swedish as their registered mother tongue

Time Method

Longitudinal: Cohort/Event-based

Sampling Procedure

Mixed probability and non-probability

The survey was sent to individuals who are part of the Citizen Panel of Swedish-speaking Finns (Barometern). A total of 5,006 people responded to the survey. Participants were invited to join the panel in 2019 and 2022, and it is also possible to register independently. In 2019, the invitation was sent to over 35,000 randomly selected Swedish-speaking individuals living in Finland who were at least 18 years old. In 2022, the invitation was sent to 30,000 individuals meeting the same criteria. In 2019, over 4,700 people registered for the panel, and in 2022, approximately 4,500 people registered.

Collection Mode

Self-administered questionnaire: Web-based (CAWI)

Research Instrument

Structured questionnaire

Response Rate

61

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: Swedish.

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

For reasons related to identifiability, the respondent's municipality of residence, the latest municipality of residence in Finland and open-ended responses to questions Q3.4, Q7b, Q8b, Q11, and Q28 in the questionnaire have been removed from the dataset at the Finnish Social Science Data Archive.

Variables Q2.1, Q3.4, Q3.5, Q3.6, and Q3.7 have been removed from the dataset in the Finnish Social Science Data Archive. These variables were excluded because the related questions were asked only from the respondents whose background information was missing from the Citizen Panel of Swedish-speaking Finns (Barometern) database. The responses from these participants have since been added to the panel database, which means their answers are now included in other corresponding background variables in the dataset.

Weighting

The dataset includes a weighting variable named 'vikt', which has been constructed based on gender, age, education, and region. This weighting ensures that the sample better represents the target population with respect to these background characteristics.

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

Lindell, Marina (Åbo Akademi University) & Finnish Research Infrastructure for Public Opinion (FIRIPO): Barometer for Swedish-speaking Finns B12/2023 [dataset]. Data version 1.0 (2025-07-16). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. DOI: https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3949; URN: https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3949

Deposit Requirement

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

Disclaimer

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

Related Publications

Deskriptiv rapport: Vento, Isak, Schauman, Jonas & Eklund, Jesper (2023) Svenskfinlands röstningsavsikter i riksdagsvalet 2023. Institutet för samhällsforskning (Samforsk), Åbo Akademi. https://www.barometern.fi/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Svenskfinlands-rostningsavsikter-i-riksdagsvalet-2023.pdf