Study title

Finnish Science Barometer 2024

Dataset ID Number

FSD4036

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD4036
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd4036

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Varpula, Vesa (Tieteen tiedotus ry)

Abstract

The survey studied Finnish public opinion on science and research and mapped their role in society. As a new theme, respondents were asked about their attitudes toward artificial intelligence and its applications in society.

First, respondents were asked which scientific fields interested them and where they obtained information about science and its development. Respondents were also asked about the future impact of science and research on people's everyday lives, and to evaluate various aspects of the state and quality of science and research in Finland. Next, respondents were asked about their trust in various institutions, including the European Parliament, the church, trade unions, the media, the armed forces, and universities. The respondents were also asked to name a Finnish researcher whom they considered trustworthy.

In addition, questions were asked about the development of science and research and the ability of science to solve societal problems. Respondents were also asked about the relation between science and politics. The survey also included various attitudinal statements about science and research. The statements covered, for instance, relationships between religion and science, science funding, alternative medicine, researchers' involvement in politics, use of scientific information in political decision-making, impact of scientific and technological development, climate change, and nutrition. Finally, the respondents' attitudes toward artificial intelligence and its applications, such as self-driving cars or facial recognition in border control, were examined. The respondents were also asked to consider the opportunities and threats posed by artificial intelligence in an open-ended question.

Background variables included the respondent's gender, age, population of their municipality of residence, NUTS2 region, type of accommodation, household characteristics, basic and vocational education, statistical grouping of municipalities, political party preference, economic activity and occupational status, and household's annual income.

Keywords

artificial intelligence; information sources; institutions; research; science; science policy; scientific cooperation; scientific development; scientific progress

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Information society (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Media (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Information technology (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

Finnish Science Barometers

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

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

Data Collector

• Nurmela, Sakari (Verian)

Time Period Covered

2024

Collection Dates

2024-05-17 – 2024-05-24

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

People aged over 18 residing in Finland (excluding the Åland Islands)

Time Method

Longitudinal: Trend/Repeated cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Probability: Multistage

The data were collected from eligible respondents on Kantar Forum internet panel. Kantar Forum panel is used to carry out commissioned surveys. The panel is made up of recruited Finnish citizens aged 15 and older. Self-recruitment is not possible. The comprehensive structure of the panel ensures suitable respondents for all survey needs and that different types of attitudinal and population groups are represented in the surveys. The sampling was carried out as a 3-stage stratified sample. A total of 1,006 respondents completed the survey.

Collection Mode

Self-administered questionnaire: Web-based (CAWI)

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

The researcher has classified the missing data in the open variables tiba9 and tiba15 into separate categorical variables (tiba9eos_1 and tiba9eos_2, and tiba15eos_1 and tiba15eos_2), while removing the original open responses from the respondents in question.

Weighting

The data include a weight variable (Weight) which weights the data to be representative of the population in mainland Finland in terms of gender, age, and region of residence.

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

Varpula, Vesa (Tieteen tiedotus ry): Finnish Science Barometer 2024 [dataset]. Data version 1.0 (2025-12-08). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. DOI: https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd4036; URN: https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD4036

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

Tiedebarometri 2024. Tutkimus suomalaisten suhtautumisesta tieteeseen ja tieteellis-tekniseen kehitykseen [verkkodokumentti]. Helsinki: Tieteen tiedotus ry. https://www.tieteentiedotus.fi/files/Tiedebarometri_2024.pdf