ISSP is a continuous programme of cross-national collaboration on social science surveys. It is based on annual, internationally integrated surveys carried out in all participating countries. A self-financed consortium of various research institutions is in charge of the programme. The ISSP data collection started in 1985, and in Finland in 2000, along with the national membership.
The GESIS in Germany is responsible for archiving the ISSP data. Country-specific codebooks and questionnaires can be found on the GESIS ISSP web pages. ZACAT, the data portal of the GESIS, offers information on ISSP surveys, with online retrieval, analysis and download. Their Data Catalogue DBK allows retrieval and download of data and questionnaires. Both services are free of charge but downloading requires registration. The ZACAT registration is valid for DBK and vice versa.
In Finland, ISSP surveys are carried out in collaboration by three institutions: Finnish Social Science Data Archive, Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Tampere, and the Interview and Survey Services of Statistics Finland.
In 2025, the theme of the international International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) survey was Work Orientations. The study examined Finns' working lives and labour market position, as well as their experiences, attitudes, and concerns related to work, working conditions, and digitalisation.
Respondents were asked how important they considered various job- and work-related characteristics, such as meaningful work, opportunities for advancement, and job security. In addition, questions covered working conditions, including work intensity, stress, working hours, remote work, and the balance between work and other areas of life.
The survey also collected information on the use of digital technologies at work, digital skills, skills development, and concerns about the impacts of technologies such as robotics and artificial intelligence on jobs, one's own work, and employment opportunities. Labour market attitudes and societal views were measured through statements concerning, among other things, the role of trade unions, employment among older workers, the value of work, and willingness to make compromises regarding working conditions in order to gain employment or avoid unemployment. Furthermore, respondents' perceptions of their likelihood of finding employment and concerns related to financial security were assessed.
Background variables in the dataset include, among others, the respondent's gender, year of birth, education, labour market status, occupation, type of employment contract, monthly gross income, marital status, household size, number of children, area of residence, trade union membership, religiosity, social class, and voting behaviour.
Respondents were selected by systematic random sampling from a population database. The sample size was 3100 persons, of whom 1330 responded to the survey. Before sampling, the respondents were sorted by municipality code and date of birth. Respondents were contacted a maximum of six times during the survey, by letter invitations, e-mail and paper forms. The total loss was 1768, of which 35 were drop-outs and 7 were refusals.