Study title

Religion and the Finns 2006

Alternative Title

ISSP 2006: Religion III: Finnish Pre-Test Data

Dataset ID Number

FSD2229

Persistent identifier

urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD2229

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• International Social Survey Programme (ISSP)
• Blom, Raimo (University of Tampere. Department of Sociology and Social Psychology)
• Melin, Harri (University of Turku. Department of Sociology)

Other Identification/Acknowledgements

• Borg, Sami (University of Tampere. Finnish Social Science Data Archive)

Abstract

The survey charts the religiosity of the Finns, their attitudes on religion, and their views on different religions and denominations. The dataset is the Finnish pre-test data for the ISSP 2008 survey.

First, the respondents were asked whether they thought all religious groups should have equal rights, whether religion influences politics too much, whether people who are prejudiced against some nationality should be allowed to express their views in public, and whether religious extremists should be allowed to hold public meetings, publish books or Internet pages, and express their views on the media. They were also asked whether they would accept a person from a different religion to marry their relative or to be a candidate of the political party they prefer. Further questions probed the respondents' attitudes towards different religions and denominations and whether practicing a religion helps people to find inner peace and happiness, to maintain good family relations, to gain comfort, to make friends, to meet the right kind of people, or to improve one's financial status. They were also presented with a set of attitudinal statements on the similarity between the purposes of different religions, on worshipping deceased ancestors, on the human ability to find perfect freedom from earthly suffering by his/her own strength, and on men's higher status in religious meetings and ceremonies.

Religiosity was charted by asking whether the respondents believed in life after death, Hell, Heaven, religious miracles, reincarnation, Nirvana, or the supernatural powers of deceased ancestors. They were also asked how often they thanked God or asked for something when praying, how people can find salvation (if it exists), how they would describe their own religiosity, how often they had felt the presence of a spiritual power, whether they had religious objects on display in their home, and how often they took part in the activities, organisations or services of a church. Further questions charted whether the respondents had made some personal sacrifice as an expression of their faith during the past year (e.g. fasting), how often they prayed, how religious or spiritual they considered themselves to be, and whether they belonged to a church or other religious group. Opinions on euthanasia and cloning humans were also canvassed.

Background variables included the respondent's year of birth, marital status, education, spouse's education, household composition, household size, occupational status, industry of employment, trade union membership, annual household income, annual personal income, type of accommodation, financial circumstances, province of residence, region of residence (NUTS3 and NUTS2), type of municipality, social class, political party preference, and left-right political self-placement.

Keywords

church; cloning; euthanasia; religion; religious behaviour; religious beliefs; religious communities; religious doctrines; religious experience; religious groups; religious practice; supernatural

Topic Classification

• Humanities (Fields of Science Classification)
• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Religion and values (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

Individual datasets

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

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

Data Collector

• TNS Gallup Finland

Time Period Covered

2006

Collection Dates

2006-10-20 – 2006-10-24

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

Finnish population aged 18-74 (excluding the Åland Islands)

Time Method

Cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Probability: Multistage

The data were collected with the help of GallupChannel research system, which involves installing personal computers or Internet terminals in the respondents' homes. The fixed sample used with the GallupChannel is a result of multistage stratified sampling and it is representative of the target population. The dataset contains the responses of 1,346 persons.

Collection Mode

Face-to-face interview: Computer-assisted (CAPI/CAMI)

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 and Finnish.

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

Number of Cases and Variables

136 variables and 1346 cases.

Data Version

1.0

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

The variable indicating municipality has been removed from the data.

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

International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) & Blom, Raimo (University of Tampere) & Melin, Harri (University of Turku): Religion and the Finns 2006 [dataset]. Version 1.0 (2006-11-13). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD2229

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

Monikasvoinen kirkko. Suomen evankelis-luterilainen kirkko vuosina 2004-2007 (2008). Kirkon tutkimuskeskuksen julkaisuja; 103. Tampere: Kirkon tutkimuskeskus.

Taira, Teemu (2014) Väärin uskottu? Ateismin uusi näkyvyys. Turku: Eetos.