Study title

Finnish EU Attitudes 2003

Dataset ID Number

FSD1356

Persistent identifier

urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD1356

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Centre for Finnish Business and Policy Studies (EVA)
• Yhdyskuntatutkimus

Abstract

The survey studies what Finns think about the membership in the European Union and international issues in general. Therefore, this survey covers other topics than EU matters as well, such as international affairs.

The respondents were asked how interested they were in matters connected to Finland's membership in the EU, how actively did they follow these matters and how well-informed of these they considered themselves to be. The survey charts Finnish opinions on the EU and other international issues, such as EU's financial and military cooperation and its relation to the United States and international development in general. Another theme was the draft treaty establishing a Constitution for the EU. Respondents assessed different views and proposals connected with the Constitution, for example, the structure and cohesion of the EU, common defence, taxation, the executive power of the European Parliament in relation to national parliaments and the possible election of the president of the EU. Future events and developments were evaluated from two viewpoints. Firstly, respondents assessed the likelihood of certain events happening during the following ten years. Secondly, they rated how desirable those events are. These events and developments included Finland's position in the EU, the Union's development in general, Nordic cooperation, international conflicts and terrorism, influence of the UN and world trade.

Opinions on the possible membership in NATO was canvassed with attitudinal statements which included the Baltic States and Russia joining NATO and Finland's position, security and influence in NATO if she joined it. Attitudes towards international economy and politics were charted with questions on equality of international trade, development cooperation and environmental issues. Respondents were asked to assess certain qualities and characterisations connected with the EU, such as progressive vs. retrogressive, efficiency vs. bureaucracy, democracy vs. inequality. Attitudes towards Finland's membership in the EU, replacement of the Finnish markka with the Euro in 2002 and EU's enlargement with new Member States in eastern Europe. Respondents were asked how certain it was that they are going to vote in the next European Parliamentary elections and what the turnout percentage is going to be in their opinion.

Background variables included respondents' gender, age group, size of municipality of residence, region of residence, basic and vocational education, occupational group, membership in a trade union. In conclusion, respondents were asked which party they would vote for if Parliamentary elections were held at that moment.

Keywords

European Parliament; European Union; European integration; European monetary system; NATO; constitutions; defence and state security policy; economic integration; enlargement; globalization; international cooperation; international trade

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Government, political systems and organisations (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• International politics and organisations (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Political behaviour and attitudes (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

Finnish EU Attitudes 1992-2012

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

The dataset is (B) available for research, teaching and study.

Data Collector

• Yhdyskuntatutkimus

Data Producers

• Centre for Finnish Business and Policy Studies

Time Period Covered

2003

Collection Dates

2003-11-26 – 2004-01-16

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

Finnish population aged 18-70 (excluding the Åland Islands)

Time Method

Longitudinal: Trend/Repeated cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Probability: Simple random

The original target group of the survey consisted of 3000 persons (the Åland Islands excluded), representing the randomly selected Finnish population aged 18-70 years. There were 1310 respondents, which means that the response rate was 43.7 percent. The data is correct and representative.

Collection Mode

Self-administered questionnaire: Paper

Research Instrument

Structured questionnaire

Response Rate

43.7

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 and Finnish.

FSD translates quantitative data into English on request, free of charge. More information on ordering data translation.

Number of Cases and Variables

173 variables and 1310 cases.

Data Version

2.0

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

Centre for Finnish Business and Policy Studies (EVA) & Yhdyskuntatutkimus: Finnish EU Attitudes 2003 [dataset]. Version 2.0 (2018-07-13). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD1356

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

Torvi, Kai (2004). Turvassa EU:ssa - kaukana kavala maailma. EVAn Suomi, EU ja maailma -asennetutkimus 2004 [verkkodokumentti]. Helsinki: Taloustieto. http://www.eva.fi/files/422_turvassa_eussa.pdf [viitattu 10.5.2004].

Lauronen, Sanna (2018). Turvallinen Nato? Suomalaisten YYA- ja EU-sukupolvien väliset erot Nato-kannatuksessa. Turku: Turun yliopisto. Valtio-opin kandidaatintutkielma.