FSD1260 Finnish National Election Study 2003
The dataset is (B) available for research, teaching and study.
Download the data
Study description in other languages
Related files
Study title
Finnish National Election Study 2003
Alternative Title
CSES
Dataset ID Number
FSD1260
Persistent identifier
urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD1260Data Type
Quantitative
Authors
- Karvonen, Lauri (Åbo Akademi University. Department of Political Science)
- Paloheimo, Heikki (University of Tampere. Department of Political Science and International Relations)
Other Identification/Acknowledgements
- Other members of the Elections and Representative Democracy in Finland study: Åsa Bengtsson (Åbo Akademi University), Sami Borg (University of Tampere), Kimmo Grönlund (Åbo Akademi University), Mikko Mattila (University of Helsinki), Tom Moring (University of Helsinki), Pertti Pesonen (University of Tampere), Jan Sundberg (University of Helsinki), Risto Sänkiaho (University of Tampere), Hanna Wass (University of Helsinki)
Abstract
The survey consists of two parts which were collected after the 2003 parliamentary elections in Finland with the help of face-to-face interviews and a supplementary, self-administered questionnaire. Swedish-speaking population is over-represented in the data. The interview data is Finland's contribution to the international Comparative Study of Electoral Systems program (CSES).
The survey charted the respondents' participation in campaign activities, for instance, in election events. The respondents were asked how much they had followed the elections in different media and whether it made a difference who is in power. Some themes focused on respondents' voting behaviour in the 1999 parliamentary elections. Opinions on the way democracy works in Finland, performance of the government and the party they voted for in the 1999 parliamentary elections were examined as well as perceptions on how well elections ensure that voters' views are represented by MPs. Political party preference and attitudes to other parties were also studied. The respondents were asked to place different political parties on the left-right axis. Satisfaction with own financial situation and life in general, and expectations of the financial and employment situation of the respondent, his/her family and Finland in the future were explored. The respondents' factual political knowledge was charted with a few questions. They were also presented with a set of attitudinal questions on politics and voting. The respondents were asked whether they had voted in the 2003 parliamentary elections and if not, reasons for not voting. Those who had voted were asked about their party of choice, reasons for choosing that particular party and candidate and which one was more important to them: party or candidate.
The supplementary, self-administered questionnaire charted opinions on current political issues. Sources of information relating to the election were charted. The respondents' willingness and attitudes to social and political participation were also studied. The respondents were presented with general questions and statements pertaining to voting and society. Some topics focused on the effectiveness of election advertisements and different aspects that might have affected respondents' voting decisions. Questions also covered Internet use, for instance, reasons for use, frequency and location. The respondents were asked whether they had followed things related to the elections, politics and society on the Internet and whether they had used candidate selectors / voting advice applications, contacted politicians via the Internet or e-mail or visited the web pages of public administration. Opinions on voting through the Internet were examined.
Variables q19-q22, q51-q65_11, and q67-q80 are national election study variables, variables q23_1-q50 and q66 are CSES variables, variables beginning with 'p' are self-administered questionnaire variables, and the rest are background variables.
Background variables included respondent's age, gender, mother tongue, employment status, occupational group, household composition, income, basic and vocational education, area, region and province of residence and type of municipality.
Keywords
Internet; election campaigns; elections; parliamentary candidates; parliamentary elections; party identification; political allegiance; political attitudes; political awareness; political influence; political interest; political participation; political support; voting; voting advice applications
Topic Classification
- Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
- Political behaviour and attitudes (CESSDA Topic Classification)
- Elections (CESSDA Topic Classification)
Series
Finnish National Election StudiesDistributor
Finnish Social Science Data Archive
Access
The dataset is (B) available for research, teaching and study.
Data Collector
- TNS Gallup Finland
Time Period Covered
2003
Collection Dates
2003-03-17 – 2003-05-15
Nation
Finland
Geographical Coverage
Finland
Analysis/Observation Unit Type
Individual
Universe
People aged 18 or over living in Finland (excluding the Åland Islands)
Time Method
Longitudinal: Trend/Repeated cross-section
Sampling Procedure
Probability: Multistage
At the first stage, the primary sampling units were based on two dimensions: NUTS 2 classifications (Southern Finland (NUTS 2 = 1,2), Central Finland (NUTS 2 = 3,4), Northern Finland (NUTS 2 = 5)) and urbanisation (urban and rural municipalities). By linking these two dimensions six primary level strata were obtained. The capital region (Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Kauniainen) forms an individual stratum. At the second stage, the strata were divided into smaller areas based on postal codes so that each smaller area had the same number of inhabitants. At the third stage, the number of starting/sampling points inside each stratum is in direct relation to the number of inhabitants in each stratum. Inside each stratum, clusters (postal codes) have been selected using PPS-sampling and each cluster has the same sample size (six interviews). Six subsequent interviews were made using random walking from each randomly sampled starting address. In each target household the person who filled the gender and age criteria was chosen to be interviewed. Data collection began on 17 March 2003, interviewing ended on 30 April 2003 and the deadline for returning the drop-off questionnaire was 15 May 2003.
Collection Mode
Face-to-face interview
Self-administered questionnaire: Paper
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: English, Finnish and Swedish.
FSD translates quantitative data into English on request, free of charge. More information on ordering data translation.
Number of Cases and Variables
472 variables and 1270 cases.
Data Version
2.0
Related Datasets
FSD2556 Finnish National Election Studies 2003-2019: combined data
Completeness of Data and Restrictions
Variables identifying municipality and postal code have been removed from the data. Interviews of the Swedish-speaking population do not include the variables q5_2, q8_1, q10_2, q12, q17_1, q17_2, q18, q91_1, q91_2, q97_2 and q101.
Weighting
The data include a weight variable which adjusts the language ratio of the data to correspond with that of the population in Finland. On 31 December 2002, people living in the Mainland Finland spoke as their first language: Finnish (92,6%), Swedish (5,1%), other language (2,3%). (Source: Statistics Finland, StatFin)
In 2021, updated weight variables were added for the main and self-administered questionnaires to enable more detailed comparison between the Finnish National Election Studies. The researchers recommend using these new weight variables when analysing the data. More information on the weight variables can be found in the attached background information file.
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
Karvonen, Lauri (Åbo Akademi University) & Paloheimo, Heikki (University of Tampere): Finnish National Election Study 2003 [dataset]. Version 2.0 (2021-09-07). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD1260
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
Den finlandssvenska väljaren (2005). Red. Åsa Bengtsson & Kimmo Grönlund. Vasa: Åbo Akademi. Samforsk.
Suomen demokratiaindikaattorit (2006). Toim. Sami Borg. Helsinki: Oikeusministeriö. Oikeusministeriön julkaisu 2006:1.
Vaalit yleisödemokratiassa. Eduskuntavaalitutkimus 2007 (2009). Toim. Borg, Sami & Paloheimo, Heikki. Tampere: Tampere University Press.
Westinen, Jussi (2011). Yhteiskunnallisten ristiriitaulottuvuuksien ja puoluevalinnan suhde eduskuntavaaleissa 1991-2007. Tilastollinen analyysi. Tampere: Tampereen yliopisto. Valtio-opin pro gradu -tutkielma.
Wass, Hanna (2007). The effects of age, generation and period on turnout in Finland 1975-2003. Electoral Studies 26(3), 648-659.
Wass, Hanna (2008). Generations and turnout: Generational effect in electoral participation in Finland. Helsinki: University of Helsinki. Department of Political Science. Acta Politica 35.
Valovirta, Viljo (2009). Viestinnällistyneen politiikan verkko. Tutkimus puolueiden verkkokampanjoinnista eduskuntavaaleissa 2007. Tampereen yliopisto: Politiikan tutkimuksen laitos. Valtio-opin pro gradu -tutkielma.
Sundberg, Jan & Wilhelmsson, Niklas & Bengtsson, Åsa (2005). Svenskt och finskt väljarbeteende. I: Den finlandssvenska väljaren (red. Åsa Bengtsson & Kimmo Grönlund), 23-56. Vasa: Åbo Akademi. Samforsk.
Siitonen, Mikko (2007). Äänestääkö vai ei? Äänestysaktiivisuus vuosien 1979, 1991 ja 2003 eduskuntavaaleissa. Turku: Turun yliopisto. Valtio-opin pro gradu -tutkielma.
Rapeli, Lauri (2010). Politiikkatietämyksen ajallinen vaihtelu Suomessa. Politiikka, 52(2), 133-139.
Rapeli, Lauri (2010). Tietääkö kansa? Kansalaisten politiikkatietämys teoreettisessa ja empiirisessä tarkastelussa. Turku: Turun yliopisto. Turun yliopiston julkaisuja. Sarja C;296.
Pesonen, Pertti & Borg, Sami (2005). Eduskuntavaalit 2003. Teoksessa: Vaalit ja demokratia Suomessa (toim. Heikki Paloheimo), 28-46. Helsinki: WSOY.
Pesonen, Pertti (2004). Dangerous Curves in Finnish Elections: A Sweet Victory and a Sour Honeymoon. Journal of Social Research 2004:2, 275-295.
Papageorgiou, Achillefs (2010). Simulation Analysis of the Effect of Party Identification on Finnish Parties' Optimal Positions. Scandinavian Political Studies 33(3), 224-247.
Paloheimo, Heikki & Sundberg, Jan (2005). Puoluevalinnan perusteet. Teoksessa: Vaalit ja demokratia Suomessa (toim. Heikki Paloheimo), 169-201. Helsinki: WSOY.
Paloheimo, Heikki & Reunanen, Esa & Suhonen, Pertti (2005). Edustuksellisuuden toteutuminen. Teoksessa: Vaalit ja demokratia Suomessa (toim. Heikki Paloheimo), 252-289. Helsinki: WSOY.
Paloheimo, Heikki & Borg, Sami (2009). Eduskuntavaalit yleisödemokratian aikakaudella. Teoksessa: Vaalit yleisödemokratiassa. Eduskuntavaalitutkimus 2007 (toim. Borg, Sami & Paloheimo, Heikki), 357-376. Tampere: Tampere University Press.
Paloheimo, Heikki (2003). Miten äänestäjät valitsevat puolueen? Politiikka 45(3), 175-193.
Paloheimo, Heikki (2005). Let the Force Be with the Leader: But Who Is the Leader? In: The Presidentialization of Politics: A Comparative Study of Modern Democracies (ed. Thomas Poguntke & Paul Webb), 246-268. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Paloheimo, Heikki (2005). Vaalit ja demokratia Suomessa. Helsinki: WSOY.
Paloheimo, Heikki (2005). Puoluevalinnan tilannetekijät. Teoksessa: Vaalit ja demokratia Suomessa (toim. Heikki Paloheimo), 202-228. Helsinki: WSOY.
Paloheimo, Heikki (2006). Asenteet poliittisia instituutioita ja toimijoita kohtaan. Teoksessa: Suomen demokratiaindikaattorit (toim. Sami Borg), 128 - 153. Helsinki: Oikeusministeriö. Oikeusministeriön julkaisu 2006:1.
Mattila, Mikko & Sänkiaho, Risto (2005). Luottamus poliittiseen järjestelmään. Teoksessa: Vaalit ja demokratia Suomessa (toim. Heikki Paloheimo), 73-87. Helsinki: WSOY.
Karvonen, Lauri (2010). The Personalization of Politics. A Study of Parliamentary Democracies. Colchester: ECPR Press.
Kestilä-Kekkonen, Elina (2009). Osallistumattomuutta ja korkeaa luottamusta: Suomalaisten nuorten aikuisten suhde puolueisiin 2000-luvulla. Politiikka 51(2), 96-106.
Karvonen, Lauri (2009). Politiikan henkilöityminen. Teoksessa: Vaalit yleisödemokratiassa. Eduskuntavaalitutkimus 2007 (toim. Borg, Sami & Paloheimo, Heikki), 94-125. Tampere: Tampere University Press.
Hart, Linda & Kovalainen, Anne & Holli, Anne Maria (2009). Gender and Power in Politics and Business in Finland. In: Kön och makt i Norden: Del I Landsrapporter (eds. Kirsti Niskanen & Anita Nyberg), 65-130. Copenhagen: Nordiska ministerrådet. TemaNord 2009:569.
Grönlund, Kimmo & Paloheimo, Heikki & Wass, Hanna (2005). Äänestysosallistuminen. Teoksessa: Vaalit ja demokratia Suomessa (toim. Heikki Paloheimo), 119-146. Helsinki: WSOY.
Grönlund, Kimmo & Paloheimo, Heikki & Sundberg, Jan & Sänkiaho, Risto & Wass, Hanna (2005). Kiinnittyminen politiikkaan. Teoksessa: Vaalit ja demokratia Suomessa (toim. Heikki Paloheimo), 88-118. Helsinki: WSOY.
Grönlund, Kimmo (2005). En bok om svenska väljare i Finland. I: Den finlandssvenska väljaren (red. Åsa Bengtsson & Kimmo Grönlund), 1-4. Vasa: Åbo Akademi. Samforsk.
Grönlund, Kimmo (2007). Knowing and Not Knowing: The Internet and Political Information. Scandinavian Political Studies 30(3), 397-418.
Grönlund, Kimmo (2006). Osallistuva demokratia. Teoksessa: Suomen demokratiaindikaattorit (toim. Sami Borg), 71-91. Helsinki: Oikeusministeriö. Oikeusministeriön julkaisu 2006:1.
Elo, Kimmo & Rapeli, Lauri (2008). Suomalaisten politiikkatietämys. Helsinki: Edita Prima. Oikeusministeriön julkaisuja 2008:6.
Borg, Sami & Moring, Tom (2005). Vaalikampanja. Teoksessa: Vaalit ja demokratia Suomessa (toim. Heikki Paloheimo), 47-72. Helsinki: WSOY.
Borg, Sami (2008). Hiljaa hyvä tulee. Puheenvuoro äänestysprosenteista ja vaaliaktivoinnista. Helsinki: Kunnallisalan kehittämissäätiö. Polemia-sarja; 71.
Borg, Sami (2006). Käsitykset kansalaisuudesta ja omista vaikuttamismahdollisuuksista. Teoksessa: Suomen demokratiaindikaattorit (toim. Sami Borg), 115-127. Helsinki: Oikeusministeriö. Oikeusministeriön julkaisu 2006:1.
Borg, Sami (2006). Osallistuminen vaali- ja puoluedemokratiaan. Teoksessa: Suomen demokratiaindikaattorit (toim. Sami Borg), 51-70. Helsinki: Oikeusministeriö. Oikeusministeriön julkaisu 2006:1.
Borg, Sami (2006). Yleinen luottamus eduskuntaan instituutiona. Teoksessa: Aatteet, instituutiot ja poliittinen toiminta (toim. Ilkka Ruostetsaari), 99-114. Tampere: Tampereen yliopisto. Studia Politica Tamperensis; 16.
Bengtsson, Åsa & Grönlund, Kimmo (2005). Ehdokasvalinta. Teoksessa: Vaalit ja demokratia Suomessa (toim. Heikki Paloheimo), 229-251. Helsinki: WSOY.
Bengtsson, Åsa & Grönlund, Kimmo (2005). Muu poliittinen osallistuminen. Teoksessa: Vaalit ja demokratia Suomessa (toim. Heikki Paloheimo), 147-168. Helsinki: WSOY.
Bengtsson, Åsa (2005). Utmaningar för svensk politik. I: Den finlandssvenska väljaren (Red. Åsa Bengtsson & Kimmo Grönlund), 127-144. Vasa: Åbo Akademi. Samforsk.
Jansen, Giedo (2011). Social Cleavages and Political Choices. Large Scale Comparisons of Social Class, Religion and Voting Behaviour in Western Democracies. Nijmegen: Radboud University. ICS Dissertation.
Kestilä, Elina & Wass, Hanna (2007). Mielipide-edustavuuden toteutuminen työperäisen maahanmuuton kysymyksessä vuoden 2003 eduskuntavaaleissa. Teoksessa: Politiikan representaatio, (toim. Kaakkuriniemi, Tapani & Mykkänen, Tapani), Helsinki: Valtiotieteellinen yhdistys.
Kestilä-Kekkonen, Elina & Wass, Hanna (2008). Representation of the work-related immigration issue: positions of the Finnish electorate and MP candidates in the 2003 parliamentary elections. Ethnopolitics 7(4), 425-444.
Wass, Hanna (2007). Generations and socialization into electoral participation. Scandinavian Political Studies 30(1), 1-19.
Berggren, Niclas & Jordahl, Henrik & Poutvaara, Panu (2011). The Right Look. Conservative Politicians Look Better and Their Voters Reward It. IZA Discussion Paper 5513. Bonn: Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
Karvonen, Lauri (2012). Att välja parti och att välja person. I Sphinx årsbok 2011-2012, 41-54. Helsingfors: Finska Vetenskaps-Societeten.
Quinlan, Stephen (2012). The Conundrum of Youth Turnout. A Cross-national Examination of Generational Processes. Dublin, IE: University College Dublin, IE. Doctoral Dissertation.
Smets, Kaat (2013). De opkomstkloof tussen jong volwassenen en ouderen in nationale verkiezingen. Een vergelijkend onderzoek (The Age Gap in Voter Turnout Between Young Adults and Older Citizens in National Elections. A Comparative Study). Res Publica 55(1), 11-36.
Karvonen, Lauri (2014). Parties, Governments and Voters in Finland. Politics under Fundamental Societal Transformation. Colchester. ECPR Press
Giger, Nathalie & Holli, Anne Maria & Lefkofridi, Zoe & Wass, Hanna (2014). The gender gap in same-gender voting. The role of context. In: Electoral Studies 35(3), 303-314.
Garzia, D., De Angelis, A. & Pianzola, J. (2014). "The Impact of VAAs on Electoral Participation". In D. Garzia & S. Marschall (eds.), Matching Voters with Parties and Candidates. Voting Advice Applications in a Comparative Perspective. Colchester: ECPR Press.
Rapeli, Lauri (2014). Eduskunta ja kansalaismielipide. Teoksessa: Eduskunta. Kansanvaltaa puolueiden ja hallituksen ehdoilla (toim. Raunio, Tapio & Wiberg, Matti), 51-65. Helsinki: Gaudeamus.
Heinonen, Marja & Laaninen, Riikka & Paju, Reijo & Rapeli, Lauri (2013). Kyselytutkimuksen edustavuus Suomessa 1973-2011. Katsaus keskeisistä taustatekijöistä. Politiikka: Valtiotieteellisen yhdistyksen julkaisu 55 (2013):3, s. 192-199.
Kestilä-Kekkonen, Elina & Tiihonen, Aino & Westinen, Jussi (2018). Vääriä kysymyksiä vai vääriä vastauksia? Vasemmisto-oikeisto -ulottuvuus vuosien 2003-2015 vaalitutkimusten valossa. Politiikka 60:2, 92-111.
Borg, Sami (2018). Suurten ikäluokkien poliittinen kiinnittyminen ja äänestysvalinnat 1970-luvulta nykypäivään. Teoksessa: Valta ja politiikka. Juhlakirja Ilkka Ruostetsaarelle hänen 60-vuotispäivänään (toim. Kestilä- Kekkonen, Elina & Raunio, Tapio), 150-171. Tampere: Vastapaino.
Jansesberger, Viktoria Anna (2020). Participation Patterns of People-Centered-Democrats. Master´s thesis in Political Science, University of Salzburg
Paljakka, Mari (2022). Äänestysosallistumisen syyperustelut eduskuntavaaleissa 2003 ja 2019. Tampere: Tampereen yliopisto. Politiikan tutkimuksen tutkinto-ohjelma. Pro gradu -tutkielma.
Garzia, D., Ferreira da Silva, F. & De Angelis, A. (2021). Leaders without Partisans. Dealignment, Media Change, and the Personalization of Politics. London: ECPR Press/Rowman & Littlefield International.
Study description in machine readable DDI-C 2.5 format
Metadata record is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.