Tekijät

• Kirchler, Michael (University of Innsbruck)
• Kotakorpi, Kaisa (Tampere University. Faculty of Management and Business. The Centre of Excellence in Tax Systems Research)
• Matthews, Peter Hans (Middlebury College & Aalto University & Helsinki Graduate School of Economics)
• Metsälampi, Satu (University of Turku)
• Miettinen, Topi (Hanken School of Economics & Helsinki Graduate School of Economics)
• Xiageng, Xu (Hanken School of Economics & Helsinki Graduate School of Economics)
• Statistics Finland

Asiasanat

employment, income, income distribution, incomes policy, labour and employment, low income, quality of life, satisfaction, taxation, unemployment, unemployment

Sisällön kuvaus

The study examined Finns' perceptions of their own income level in relation to other groups, as well as attitudes and values related to income levels.

The survey respondents were divided into seven different treatment groups, in relation to which they were asked to compare their own income data for 2018. Respondents in a specific treatment group received information about their income level in relation to that group. The treatment groups were: age, municipality of residence, educational level, occupation, and national income level. In addition, one treatment group was allowed to choose one of these five treatment groups, and one group was a control group that did not receive any information about income levels in relation to others.

In addition to these groups, one separate group of respondents was promised 15 euros for completing the survey. The aim was to examine the effect of the reward on response rates. These respondents can be identified in the data by the variable "incentive." There were also differences between respondents in the order of the questionnaire. The variables named "show" in the data indicate the order in which the questions were presented to the respondents. More detailed information on the structure of the survey can be found in the questionnaire and the background information form.

First, respondents were asked to assess their own income level in relation to that of other Finns in 2018 by estimating what proportion of Finns in that group earned less than the respondent themselves. Respondents were then provided with information about their income level in 2018 in relation to their own treatment group.

Next, respondents were asked about their satisfaction with life, their current job, and their income level, and they were asked about their plans for the future. In addition, respondents were asked about their views on various social and political issues, such as trust, immigration, benefits, and income distribution. After this, respondents were asked about their views on opportunities in Finland and asked to describe themselves through various statements.

Finally, respondents were presented with a hypothetical situation in which they were offered money and had to decide how they would use it. The options given were donating to charity, voluntarily paying tax, and buying lottery tickets. The incentive group, on the other hand, was given the opportunity to choose whether to use part of the reward offered to them for the above-mentioned purposes or to keep the entire reward for themselves.

Background variables include year of birth, gender, type of housing, level of education, and political orientation.