The first two Rural Finland barometers were conducted as part of the Landmarks Programme (2010-2012) of the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra. The barometers provide information on the relationship of the Finns to the countryside and on their ideas for its future. Respondents are Finnish citizens, business managers, public sector decision-makers, media representatives, and countryside experts. Datasets from the survey have been archived at FSD Archive since 2009.
The Rural Finland survey examines Finns' perceptions of the significance and future of rural areas. Commissioned by the Rural Policy Council and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland, the survey explores perceptions of rural areas, willingness to move to a rural area, criteria for a good life, and the importance of rural areas at present and ten years into the future. This dataset contains responses to a survey directed at Finnish-speaking citizens. The dataset forms part of a repeated study conducted at regular intervals among respondents drawn from the same target population. As the survey questions remain largely unchanged over time, the data enable longitudinal comparisons.
Respondents were first asked about the images and perceptions that rural and urban areas evoke, whether they considered certain areas to be rural, and how different types of areas, such as sparsely populated areas, urban areas, and rural areas, relate to their own lives. They were then asked how much time they spend in different types of areas during the year and whether they intend to move to a more rural or more urban environment within the next ten years.
Respondents were then asked which factors they considered necessary for a good life and to what extent these were realised in their own lives. They were also asked about their hopes and expectations regarding the future of rural areas and the role of rural areas in the sustainability transition. Finally, respondents were asked to evaluate a range of statements concerning rural areas, as well as entrepreneurship and livelihoods in rural areas.
The background variables included region, major region, municipality classification, urban-rural classification, year of birth, age, gender, level of education, occupational status, combined gross household income, party preference in parliamentary elections, mother tongue, household size, household type, number and ages of children, and type of dwelling.
The data were collected from respondents belonging to Taloustutkimus's online panel. The panel consists of Finnish residents aged 15 years and over. The sampling frame comprised approximately 30,000 Finns. NUTS 2 regions (Helsinki-Uusimaa, Southern Finland, Eastern Finland, Western Finland, and Northern Finland), gender, and age group were used in the sampling.