Study title

Hate and Public Sphere: Media Professionals Survey 2020

Dataset ID Number

FSD3988

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3988
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3988

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Oksanen, Atte (Tampere University. Faculty of Social Sciences)
• Latikka, Rita (Tampere University. Faculty of Social Sciences)
• Oksa, Reetta (Tampere University. Faculty of Social Sciences)
• Savela, Nina (Tampere University. Faculty of Social Sciences)

Abstract

The survey explores the experiences of Finnish media professionals concerning hate and harassment along with their social media use and overall well-being.

First, the survey mapped the respondents' social media usage habits. Respondents were asked, for example, how often they publish content on various social media services. In addition, the survey examined the use of social media at work and employers' attitudes toward public use of social media. Next, the survey mapped harassment and hate experienced at work and their effects on the respondents' activities and well-being. Respondents were also asked if they knew the perpetrator and if they reported the incident to anyone. Furthermore, concerns about potential harassment were examined. At the end of the survey, questions focused on work well-being, work engagement, and social support. Respondents were also asked about general well-being, happiness, and experiences of psychological strain.

The experimental section of the survey examined how respondents reacted to death threats made on social media against a fictional person, based on perceived closeness. Respondents were asked what reactions the event evoked in them and how the person who received the death threat should act.

The following instruments were used in the survey: Big Five Inventory BFI-S (Personality), Eysenck Impulsivity Scale EIS (Impulsivity), General Health Questionnaire GHQ-12 (Psychological strain), Identity Bubble Reinforcement Scale IBRS (Like-mindedness and identity bubbles), Single-Item Self-Esteem SISE (Self-esteem), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory STAI-6 (Anxiety), Trauma Screening Questionnaire TSQ (Screening for psychological trauma symptoms), and Utrecht Work Engagement Scale UWES (Work engagement, 9-item scale).

Background variables in the dataset include, among others, respondent's gender, age group, marital status, education level, economic activity, media sector in which they work, and information on how often the respondent appears on television, radio, or in newspapers as part of their job.

Keywords

cyberbullying; harassment; hate speech; internet; job satisfaction; mass media; occupational life; online social networks; psychological well-being; social media

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Working conditions (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Information society (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• General health and well-being (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

Individual datasets

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

The dataset is (B) available for research, teaching and study.

Data Collector

• Oksanen, Atte (Tampere University. Faculty of Social Sciences)
• Latikka, Rita (Tampere University. Faculty of Social Sciences)
• Oksa, Reetta (Tampere University. Faculty of Social Sciences)
• Savela, Nina (Tampere University. Faculty of Social Sciences)

Funders

• Helsingin Sanomat Foundation

Time Period Covered

2020

Collection Dates

2020-10-27 – 2020-12-08

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

Media professionals

Time Method

Cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Probability: Stratified

Finnish media professionals from large media companies participated in the study. The media companies were selected with a view to achieving the best possible regional coverage. Participants were recruited in cooperation with the media companies and the Union of Journalists in Finland. The survey was conducted online and was available in Finnish and Swedish. A total of 3,698 professionals received an email invitation to participate in the survey, of whom 695 responded. The sample is close to the available statistics on Finnish journalists. Most of the participants work in permanent or fixed-term employment, and there were fewer freelancers or entrepreneurs, which can be explained by the focus of recruitment on media companies. Participants were recruited from all regions of Finland.

Collection Mode

Self-administered questionnaire: Web-based (CAWI)

Web-based experiment

Research Instrument

Structured questionnaire

Response Rate

18.79

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

FSD3986 Hate and Public Sphere: University Research and Teaching Staff Survey 2020

FSD3987 Hate and Public Sphere: Municipal Councillor Survey 2019-2020

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

The researchers have anonymised the data by removing open-ended responses and categorising birth years into age groups.

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

Oksanen, Atte (Tampere University) & Latikka, Rita (Tampere University) & Oksa, Reetta (Tampere University) & Savela, Nina (Tampere University): Hate and Public Sphere: Media Professionals Survey 2020 [dataset]. Data version 1.0 (2025-10-14). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. DOI: https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3988; URN: https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3988

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

Celuch, M., Oksa, R., Ellonen, N., & Oksanen, A. (2023). Self-censorship among online harassment targets: The role of support at work, harassment characteristics, and the target's public visibility self-censoring. Information, Communication & Society, 27(11), 2171-2190. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2023.2289978

Celuch, M. (2024). Aftermath of Abuse on the Internet: Reactions of targets and bystanders to online harassment. Sosiaalipsykologian väitöskirja. Tampere: Tampereen yliopisto. https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-03-3586-1

Celuch, M., Latikka, R., Oksa, R., & Oksanen, A. (2023). Online harassment and hate among media professionals: Reactions to one's own and others' victimization. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 100(3), 619-645, https://doi.org/10.1177/10776990221148987