Study title

Finnish Local Government Barometer 2010: Members of Municipal Councils

Dataset ID Number

FSD2624

Persistent identifier

urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD2624

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Foundation for Municipal Development

Abstract

The survey charted the attitudes of members of municipal councils towards local government finance and municipal service provision in Finland. Views on the characteristics and policies of Finnish political parties were also studied.

First, views were probed on the sufficiency of municipal service provision in different issues, for instance, care for the elderly, health services, public transport, sports facilities, library and cultural services, primary and lower secondary schools. The respondents were presented with a list of services and asked which could be cut down if municipalities had to reduce costs. The services mentioned included, for instance, educational institutions, child day care, care for the elderly, social assistance, health care, sports facilities, public transport. They were also presented with a list of social problems, such as rising prices, prostitution, racism, crime, income disparity, high taxation, and asked which were the three problems the future parliament and government should focus on.

Next, the respondents were asked to what extent they agreed with a number of attitudinal statements relating to the financing of services, cutting down services, democracy, economic and social disparity, minimum income guarantee, public political influence, raising the municipal tax rate etc. Some questions focused on what methods the respondents would find acceptable to ensure the financing and services of municipalities. The methods mentioned included, for instance, raising the municipal tax rate, increasing borrowing, cutting/delaying investments, decreasing the quality of municipal services, lowering wages. Finally, opinions on the characteristics and policies of different political parties were charted.

Background variables included the number of inhabitants in the municipality, the respondent's gender and political allegiance, and the regional council in the area of which the municipality was located.

Keywords

government policy; local finance; local government; local government services; political parties

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Elites and leadership (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Government, political systems and organisations (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

Finnish Local Government Barometers

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

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

Data Collector

• TNS Gallup Finland

Data Producers

• Foundation for Municipal Development

Time Period Covered

2010

Collection Dates

2010-09-20 – 2010-11-18

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

Members of municipal councils in Finland (excluding the Åland Islands)

Time Method

Longitudinal: Trend/Repeated cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Probability: Systematic random

The sample was drawn from all municipal councillors in Finland through systematic sampling.

Collection Mode

Self-administered questionnaire: Paper

Research Instrument

Structured questionnaire

Response Rate

49.7

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: Finnish.

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

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

Foundation for Municipal Development: Finnish Local Government Barometer 2010: Members of Municipal Councils [dataset]. Version 2.0 (2018-07-20). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD2624

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 Materials

Kansalaismielipide ja kunnat: Ilmapuntari 2010 - 2011 (2011). Helsinki: Kunnallisalan kehittämissäätiö. Polemia-sarja; 79.

Related Publications

Kansalaismielipide ja kunnat: Ilmapuntari 2010-2011 (2011). Helsinki: Kunnallisalan kehittämissäätiö. Polemia-sarja; 79.

Laiho, Anna (2013) Kuntalaisten ja kunnanvaltuutettujen mielipiteet kunnallisista palveluista 2000-luvulla. Turku: Turun yliopisto. Sosiaalipolitiikan pro gradu -tutkielma.

Paunonen, Melinda (2023). MISTÄ VOIDAAN KARSIA? : Kunnan asukasmäärän vaikutus valtuutettujen mielipiteisiin kunnan säästökohteita koskien. Taloussosiologian Pro gradu -tutkielma. Turku: Turun yliopisto