Study title

Presidential Election 2024

Dataset ID Number

FSD4019

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD4019
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd4019

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Kujanen, Maarika (Tampere University)
• Raunio, Tapio (Tampere University)

Other Identification/Acknowledgements

• Kestilä-Kekkonen, Elina (Tampere University)
• Sipinen, Josefina (Tampere University)
• von Schoultz, Åsa (University of Helsinki)
• Mattila, Mikko (University of Helsinki)
• Koskimaa, Vesa (Tampere University)
• Tiihonen, Aino (Tampere University)
• Isotalo, Veikko (University of Helsinki)

Abstract

The data charted the voting behaviour of Finns in the 2024 presidential elections and their views on the powers of the President. The data include questions on the respondents' political values and attitudes, the role and powers of the President, as well as their choice of candidate and the reasons for that choice.

At the beginning of the survey, the respondents' political interest and trust in various political institutions (for example, Parliament, the Government, the EU, the President of the Republic, politicians) were examined. The respondents were then asked about their position on different value dimensions, their satisfaction with the functioning of democracy, and their party preference. Next, the respondents' views on the powers of the President and various political actors (for example, Parliament, the Government, the EU, politicians), as well as on the role of the President and the presidential institution, were charted. The respondents were also asked about their knowledge of the President's constitutional powers.

The subsequent section of the survey concerned the 2024 presidential elections. The respondents were asked, for example, how closely they had followed the elections through different sources and what they thought of the presidential candidates. Their choice of candidate and the reasons for that choice were also examined, for example by asking to what extent different factors influenced their voting decision. Finally, the respondents' past voting behaviour and party choices in previous elections were charted.

Background variables include the respondent's age, marital status, gender, level of education, occupational status, household size, household's gross annual income, mother tongue, degree of religiosity, social class, and region.

Keywords

attitudes; authority; beliefs; democracy; elections; heads of state; political attitudes; politics; presidential candidates; presidential elections; values; voting; voting behaviour; voting intention

Topic Classification

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

• Taloustutkimus

Funders

• Research Council of Finland (333013)

Time Period Covered

2024

Collection Dates

2024-02-05 – 2024-03-19

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

Finnish citizens aged over 18 and eligible to vote who lived in Mainland Finland at the time of the 2024 presidential elections.

Time Method

Cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Probability: Simple random

A sample of 6,000 eligible voters was ordered from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. Taloustutkimus contacted the respondents by letter. The survey could be completed in Finnish or Swedish.

Collection Mode

Self-administered questionnaire: Paper

Self-administered questionnaire: Web-based (CAWI)

Research Instrument

Structured questionnaire

Response Rate

25

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

Information on the respondent's municipality of residence, variable V40, has been removed from the data by the researchers for reasons of identifiability.

For identifiability reasons, the number of persons in a household has been top‑coded at 7 or more (V43) at FSD, and the information in the number‑of‑children variables (V43A and V43B) has been removed for these respondents. In addition, responses exceeding 7 were removed from the child‑number variable. For identifiability reasons, the birth year variable was also converted into an age variable at FSD.

Weighting

The data includes three weighting variables, painot_kierros12, painot_kierros1 and painot_kierros2. The weighting variables take into account the actual age and gender distribution of the population, level of education, electoral district and mother tongue. Additionally, information on the number of people who voted and did not vote in the 2024 presidential elections, as well as on candidate choice in the first and second rounds of the election, was used when calculating the weighting variables. These figures are based on data published by Statistics Finland. The recommended weighting variable is painot_kierros12. The secondary weighting variables painot_kierros1 and painot_kierros2 take into account information on voting/candidate choice only for the first round (painot_kierros1) or the second round (painot_kierros2). However, these should only be used on a case-by-case basis, and as a rule the recommended weighting variable painot_kierros12 should be used. Variables created for constructing the weighting variables have been named separately (näyte/painotusapu).

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

Kujanen, Maarika (Tampere University) & Raunio, Tapio (Tampere University): Presidential Election 2024 [dataset]. Data version 1.0 (2025-11-24). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. DOI: https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd4019; URN: https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD4019

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

Kujanen, M. & Raunio, T. (toim.) (2025). Presidentinvaalit 2024: Ehdokasvalinta, media ja kansansuosio. Tampere University Press. https://doi.org/10.61201/tup.1045

Laine, L. (2024). Taktiset äänestäjät vuoden 2024 presidentinvaaleissa. Kandidaatintyö. Tampereen yliopisto. https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202409118660

Kemppi, C. (2024). Onko presidentin sukupuolella merkitystä? Analyysi ehdokkaan sukupuolen vaikutuksesta ehdokasvalintaan presidentinvaaleissa 2024. Kandidaatintyö. Tampereen yliopisto. https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202406036664