Study title

EVA Survey on Finnish Values and Attitudes 2014

Dataset ID Number

FSD2933

Persistent identifier

urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD2933

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Finnish Business and Policy Forum (EVA)

Other Identification/Acknowledgements

• Kiljunen, Pentti (Yhdyskuntatutkimus)

Abstract

The main themes of the survey were social change and the need for transformation in society, equality and inequality, and the European Union.

First, the respondents were asked to what extent they agreed with a number of statements relating to, for instance, political parties and the political system, science and technology, employment, economic growth, changes in society, equality, education, environment, free competition, public services, globalisation, Finland's NATO membership, market forces, national debt, immigration etc.

Opinions were charted on why the Finnish society was slow to change and reform. Reasons mentioned included, for instance, sensible caution and moderation, lack of public funds, complexity and size of social problems, bureaucracy, inability to cooperate of different actors in society, lack of leadership in society, atmosphere that discourages responsiblity and risk-taking, and opposition to reform among citizens.

The respondents were also asked what kind of voter they were (i.e. core voter, swing voter, abstaining voter) as well as how they would place themselves on the left-right and liberal-conservative axes. One set of questions charted opinions on the equality/inequality between Finns in various issues and between different groups, for instance, income distribution, health, educational opportunities, genders, generations/age groups, municipalities, occupational groups, taxation, political rights and opportunities, freedom of speech, and ethnicities. Views on the acceptability of different means of influencing in society were investigated (e.g. boycotting, infiltrating and/or recording in production facilities, legal demonstrations, rioting, traffic blockades, nonviolent direct action in order to draw the attention of the media).

Views were charted on characteristics of the Finns and Finland and the effects of these characteristics in society. Opinions were studied on Finnish education in international comparison.

Relating to the European Union, opinions were charted on Finland's EU membership and the currency change to euro. The respondents were also asked whether the EMU membership and euro were advantageous or disadvantageous to Finland in the economic situation at the time of the survey, whether their opinion of the EU had become more positive or negative, and whether they would vote for or against Finland's EU membership if a referendum were held at the time of responding.

The background variables included the respondent's gender, year of birth, region of residence (NUTS3), basic and vocational education, economic activity and occupational status, industry of employment, political party choice if parliamentary elections were held at the time of survey, membership in a trade union, self-perceived social class, and number of inhabitants in the municipality of residence.

Keywords

European Union; European economic and monetary union; European integration; education; environment; equal opportunity; labour and employment; market economy; political influence; political participation; social change; social inequality; social justice; social reform; values; welfare policy

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Social behaviour and attitudes (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Political behaviour and attitudes (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Economic systems and development (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

EVA Surveys on Finnish Values and Attitudes

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

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

Data Collector

• Taloustutkimus

Data Producers

• Finnish Business and Policy Forum

Time Period Covered

2014

Collection Dates

2014-01-14 – 2014-01-30

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

People aged between 18 and 70 years living in Finland (excluding the Åland Islands)

Time Method

Longitudinal: Trend/Repeated cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Probability: Multistage

The Internet panel of Taloustutkimus, randomly drawn from Finland's population register, consists of people aged 15-79 who have entered their demographic and sociographic information when registering to the panel and have given their consent to Taloustutkimus to invite them to participate in different surveys. Answering any survey is voluntary and participants can leave the panel any time they want.

The sample for this study was drawn from among the Taloustutkimus panel members, to be representative of the 18-70-year-old Finnish population (excluding the Åland Islands) in terms of age, gender, province of residence, education, and economic activity/occupational status. Invitations were sent to the selected population in three phases: 14th, 22nd and 28th of January 2014. The participants completed an interactive online questionnaire using a secure connection provided by Taloustutkimus. During data collection, four reminder e-mails were sent to selected groups of non-respondents and to persons who had completed only a part of the questionnaire (on 17th, 20th, 24th and 27th of January 2014). By 30 January 2014, 2,052 persons had sent acceptable responses. During the analysis of results, Taloustutkimus weighted the data to be representative of Finnish population aged 18-70 in terms of age, gender, region of residence, education, economic activity and occupational status, industry of employment, and political party allegiance (i.e. what party would vote for in parliamentary elections)

Collection Mode

Self-administered questionnaire: Web-based (CAWI)

Research Instrument

Structured questionnaire

Response Rate

30

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

170 variables and 2052 cases.

Data Version

4.0

Weighting

The data contain a weight variable with which the data can be weighted to match the Finnish population aged 18-70 in terms of age, gender, province of residence, education, economic activity and occupational status, industry of employment and political party allegiance.

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

Finnish Business and Policy Forum (EVA): EVA Survey on Finnish Values and Attitudes 2014 [dataset]. Version 4.0 (2018-07-19). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD2933

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

Haavisto, Ilkka (2014). Neljäs Suomi. EVAn arvo- ja asennetutkimus 2014 [verkkodokumentti]. Helsinki: Taloustieto. http://www.eva.fi/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Neljas-Suomi.pdf [viitattu 22.4.2014].

Haavisto, Ilkka (2014). Työlle ahneet. Suomalaiset arvostavat ahkeruutta, mutta ovat huonoja jakamaan [verkkodokumentti]. Helsinki: Elinkeinoelämän valtuuskunta. EVA Analyysi; 38. http://www.eva.fi/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Tyolle-ahneet2.pdf [viitattu 9.9.2014].

Paajanen, Teemu (2017). Multinomiaalisen logistisen regressioanalyysin sovellus vuoden 2014 EVAn kansalliseen asennetutkimukseen. Jyväksylä: Jyväskylän yliopisto. Tilastotieteen pro gradu -tutkielma. http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-201706122810

Erola, Marko & Haavisto, Ilkka & Hokkanen, Eveliina & Kauhanen, Antti & Koskinen, Seppo & Malm Lindberg, Henrik & Makkula, Janne & Vihriälä, Vesa (2018). Työn uudet ehdot raportti. Miten avaamme työmarkkinoiden umpisolmut? [verkkodokumentti]. Helsinki: Elinkeinoelämän valtuuskunta. EVA Raportti. https://www.eva.fi/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/eva_raportti_tyon_uudet_ehdot.pdf [viitattu 29.6.2018].

Alpimaa, Markku (2020) Talouspoliittiset asennemuutokset Suomessa vuosina 1984-2020 EVA:n arvo- ja asennetutkimusten valossa. Turku: Turun yliopisto. Sosiologian pro gradu -tutkielma. http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe20201223102803