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 Datasets from the survey have been archived at FSD Archive since 2009.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 perceptions of the significance and future of rural areas in Finland. Commissioned by the Rural Policy Council and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland, this dataset contains responses from public sector decision-makers, business decision-makers, media representatives, and rural experts concerning rural areas, their development needs, and issues related to livelihoods and entrepreneurship. 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. The survey was available in Finnish and Swedish.
Initially, the respondents were asked what kinds of associations rural and urban areas evoked for them, whether they considered certain areas to be rural or not, and whether they saw themselves as urban or rural residents. Next, they were asked what rural areas meant to them at present and what they were likely to mean ten years from now. In addition, the survey examined what respondents hoped for the future of rural areas and, conversely, what they believed the future would bring for rural areas.
Finally, the survey explored respondents' views on the role of rural areas in the sustainability transition, statements concerning rural areas, rural development needs, and statements related to entrepreneurship and rural entrepreneurship. In addition, respondents assessed which rural policy measures could potentially be scaled back and how business opportunities in different sectors are likely to develop in rural areas.
The background variables collected from all respondents include respondent group, response language, year of birth, gender, level of education, occupational status, total gross household income, party preference in parliamentary elections, and native language.
In addition, respondent group-specific background information was collected from each group. Public sector decision-makers were asked how they had been selected for their position and at what territorial level they participated in decision-making. Rural experts were asked, among other things, in which sector they worked and at what territorial level they primarily exerted influence. Business decision-makers were asked about their sector of business, turnover in 2022, number of employees, and their position within the company. Media representatives were asked about their job role, the type of media organisation they represented, and the geographical area in which the media organisation operated.
Taloustutkimus compiled a sample of business decision-makers and representatives of the media. The target population of business decision-makers was drawn from the Profinder business register, after which a random sample was selected. The sample of media representatives was compiled using purposive sampling from various public sources. Business decision-makers and media representatives were surveyed using a web questionnaire preceded by telephone contact. The contact list for public sector decision-makers and rural experts was compiled by the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) from public sources, the Finnish Food Authority, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland using purposive sampling. The survey was conducted using a web questionnaire.