Study title

QueerDefense Survey 2025

Dataset ID Number

FSD4038

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD4038
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd4038

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Ahola, Heidi (Transfeminines)
• Rainer, Mona (Transfeminines)
• Lindström, Linda (Transfeminines)

Abstract

The survey examines the experiences of lesbians living in Finland regarding hate speech and harassment, as well as how incidents of harassment have been reported.

First, respondents were asked about their observations and experiences of hate speech targeting LGBTQ+ people. The survey also examined how hostility appears in different environments, such as the media, and interpersonal interactions. In addition, it was examined whether hostile statements have increased and from which sources respondents have observed hate speech in public contexts.

The next section focused on respondents' personal experiences of harassment in everyday life. The questions covered both gender‑ and sexual orientation‑based harassment, as well as sexual harassment. Respondents were asked what kind of harassment they had experienced, where it had taken place, and which parties were responsible. In addition, the survey examined reporting of harassment and satisfaction with the response to reports. Finally, it was examined how harassment and hate speech have affected, for example, the respondents' activities. Respondents were also asked to share their views on how harassment could be prevented and how authorities and organisations could be made more approachable for LGBTQ+ people.

The background variables include the respondent's gender, age group, membership in minority groups, and occupational status.

Keywords

female homosexuality; harassment; hate speech; quality of life; sexual harassment; women

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Minorities (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Social conditions and indicators (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

• Transfeminines

Funders

• European Union. Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV) (101140301)

Time Period Covered

2025

Collection Dates

2025-02-25 – 2025-03-08

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

Lesbians over 18 years of age living in Finland

Time Method

Cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Non-probability: Availability

The survey was actively promoted on Trasfeminine's social media channels and distributed to stakeholders during the survey period. Both lesbians belonging to gender minorities and cisgender lesbians were invited to respond to the survey in order to enable comparison between the two groups. A total of 186 people responded to the survey. The survey could be completed in Finnish, Swedish, and English. The survey was conducted using the LimeSurvey online form platform.

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

2.0

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

To prevent identification of respondents, the open-ended variable describing functional limitations or disabilities was removed from the dataset at FSD. In addition, one description of harassment was removed from the open-ended variable K7_1.

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

Ahola, Heidi (Transfeminines) & Rainer, Mona (Transfeminines) & Lindström, Linda (Transfeminines): QueerDefense Survey 2025 [dataset]. Data version 2.0 (2026-03-02). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. DOI: https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd4038; URN: https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD4038

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

Ahola, Heidi & Rainer, Mona & Lindström, Linda (2025). Raportti Queerdefense-selvityksen tuloksista. Cis-, trans- ja ei-binääristen lesbojen kokemuksia häirinnästä ja vihapuheesta Suomessa. Transfeminiinit ry. https://www.transfeminiinit.fi/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Queer-Defense-raportti-2025.pdf