Study title

Children and Youth Leisure Survey 2020

Dataset ID Number

FSD3990

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3990
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3990

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Finnish Youth Research Society
• Ministry of Education and Culture. State Youth Council

Abstract

In the interview survey Children and Youth Leisure Survey 2020, the leisure time and hobbies of people aged 7-29 were examined. In this year's survey, the main themes were children's and young people's media use and participation in culture and the arts. The interview questions differed slightly according to the age of the respondent, and a few questions were also asked of the parents of those under 15.

At the beginning, a few background questions were asked of respondents aged 15-29. For those under 15, the questions were asked of their parent. The questions concerned gender, municipality of residence, and mother tongue. After this, children's and young people's leisure time and hobbies were examined. The respondents themselves, or the parents of children under 10, were asked about the prevalence of hobbies, the frequency of participation, and the adequacy of leisure time. Those aged over 10 were additionally asked about participation in culture and about possible experiences of inappropriate treatment in hobbies.

Next, the questions dealt with children's and young people's social contacts, their forms, and regularity. The respondents were asked, for example, about the frequency and ways of keeping in contact and about the use of social media as a communication channel. Internet and media use was examined, for example, by asking what activities the respondent engages in online, whether they follow social media influencers, whether they have encountered inappropriate behaviour online, and whether they listen to music or attend music events. In addition, respondents aged over 15 were asked about their views on body modification, such as tattoos and piercings. Questions related to media use were also asked of the parents of children under 15. Parents were asked, for example, about conflicts in the family caused by gaming and internet use, and about ways of restricting children's phone use.

After this, respondents aged 10-29 were asked about membership of organisations and participation in organisational activities. In addition, the respondents were asked to assess their satisfaction with different areas of life. Finally, respondents aged 10-29 were asked for further background information, such as their level of education and whether they felt they belonged to a minority.

The background variables in the data include age, gender, language, major regions NUTS2, type of neighbourhood, education, and economic activity.

Keywords

adolescents; children; community action; cultural activitie; harassment; hobbies; internet; leisure time; leisure time activities; mass media use; social life; time budgets; well-being (health)

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Children (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Youth (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Time use (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Cultural activities and participation (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

Children and Youth Leisure Surveys

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

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

Data Collector

• IROResearch

Time Period Covered

2020

Collection Dates

2020-01-23 – 2020-02-29

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

Children and young people aged 7-29 living in mainland Finland

Time Method

Cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Non-probability: Quota

The aim of the data collection was to obtain a sample of 1,400 respondents corresponding to the target population. The target population was quota-sampled by two genders (girls and boys), three language groups (Finnish, Swedish, and other), and five age groups (7-9, 10-14, 15-19, 20-24, and 25-29 years). The sample was thus quota-sampled into 30 strata (2 × 3 × 5). For the telephone interviews, the Digital and Population Data Services Agency drew a random sample of 30,001 individuals aged 7-29 years residing in mainland Finland from the Population Information System, of whom telephone numbers were identified for 14,749 persons, i.e. approximately half (49%). Of the 19,973 calls placed, 10,492 were not answered, 198 numbers were not in use, no eligible interviewee was identified for 789 numbers, and 6,242 individuals refused to participate. A total of 1,402 telephone interviews were conducted between 23 January and 29 February 2020.

Both the Finnish- and Swedish-language questionnaires consisted of age-group-specific forms that were combined into a single questionnaire. In the age groups under 15 years, the respondent's guardian was contacted in order to obtain consent for participation and to agree on the interview time.

Collection Mode

Telephone interview: Computer-assisted (CATI)

Research Instrument

Structured questionnaire

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

For reasons of identifiability, the mother tongue variable T3 has been classified by the researcher.

For identification reasons, the municipality variable was removed from the dataset during archiving. The municipality variable has been converted into a major regions variable in the FSD.

Weighting

The data include a weight variable (WT), for which gender, age group and language were used as weighting criteria. The weight variable was used to compensate for loss from the quota-based target numbers.

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 Youth Research Society & Ministry of Education and Culture: Children and Youth Leisure Survey 2020 [dataset]. Data version 1.0 (2025-10-15). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. DOI: https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3990; URN: https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3990

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

Salasuo, Mikko (toim.) (2021) Harrastamisen äärellä : lasten ja nuorten vapaa-aikatutkimus 2020. Nuorisotutkimusseuran verkkojulkaisuja 161. Helsinki: Opetus- ja kulttuuriministeriö & Valtion nuorisoneuvosto & Nuorisotutkimusverkosto. https://doi.org/10.57049/nts.1677.