Authors

• Finnish Research Infrastructure for Public Opinion (FIRIPO)
• Grönlund, Kimmo (Åbo Akademi University. Faculty of Social Sciences, Business and Economics)
• Strandberg, Kim (Åbo Akademi University. Faculty of Social Sciences, Business and Economics)

Keywords

democracy, elections, parliamentary elections, political attitudes, political participation, political parties, politicians, politics, voting, voting behaviour

Abstract

The study charted the respondents' political attitudes, voting behaviour and views on the 2023 parliamentary elections. The dataset includes data from six rounds of polling with the same respondents. The data were collected as part of the Citizens' Opinion panel, which is part of The Finnish Research Infrastructure for Public Opinion (FIRIPO).

First, the respondent's voting behaviour was surveyed by asking, for example, whether they planned to vote in the 2023 parliamentary elections, and if so, which party they planned to vote for. Those who indicated that they would not be voting were asking about their reasons for doing so (e.g. haven't found a suitable party or candidate, have inadequate information to make a voting decision). Political participation was examined with questions about interest in politics, forms of political participation engaged in (e.g. donating money to a candidate, participating in a peaceful demonstration, participating in a political party's campaign activities), and participation in citizens' initiatives.

Next, political attitudes were investigated with a series of statements (e.g. Finnish Members of Parliament are competent at their jobs, I trust my own abilities to take part in politics, by voting ordinary people can have an impact on political decision-making). The respondents' views on current political issues charted with a series of statements (e.g. immigration is mostly a good thing for Finland, Finland should be much more active in the fight against climate change, Russia is a security threat to Finland, public services must be cut to balance the Finnish economy), and they were asked to assess how important various topics in politics (e.g. taxation, minority rights, social and health care, national security and defence) were for them. The respondents were also asked whether they would for or against Finland's NATO membership if they had the chance.

Voting choice was surveyed by asking the respondents which factors (e.g. the party's values, the party's activities during the previous parliamentary term) had impacted their choice of political party in the 2023 parliamentary elections. The factors which impacted the respondents' choice of candidate in parliamentary elections (e.g. candidate's trustworthiness, candidate's previous political experience) were also examined. Additionally, the respondents were asked which political parties they would like to see in government after the 2023 parliamentary elections and which political parties they hoped would not be part of the government. Opinions were investigated on each political party in the Finnish parliament and the chairpersons of those parties. The respondents were also asked how they would feel about having a close friend or a colleague that supported each of the political parties in the Finnish parliament, and how they would react if their son or daughter married a supporter of each of the parties in the Finnish parliament. General attitudes towards the supporters of each political party in the Finnish parliaments were charted.

Trust in various institutions (e.g. the European Union, the Finnish President, political parties) was measured and satisfaction in democracy in Finland and in the EU was investigated. Satisfaction with the Cabinet led by Prime Minister Sanna Marin, the activities of opposition parties after the 2019 parliamentary elections, the government's approach to the war in Ukraine, and the government's approach to the COVID-19 pandemic were surveyed. The respondents were asked whether various areas (e.g. defence, care of the elderly, employment, taxation, minority rights) had improved or worsened since the 2019 parliamentary elections and whether they believed that the changes in those areas were due to the government's actions or caused by other reasons.

The respondents were asked how suitable they felt that different political systems (e.g. a democratic political system, a strong leader who does not have to care about the parliament or elections) were as a form of government in Finland. Views on democracy were studied by asking how essential certain factors (e.g. women have the same rights as men, the people elect their leaders in free elections, the media are free to criticise the government) were for democracy. Additionally, the respondents were asked for their opinions on various proposals concerning the future direction of Finland (e.g. Finland should accept fewer refugees, Finland should have a smaller public sector, Finland should have lower taxation even if it weakens public services).

Background variables included the respondent's age, gender, highest level of education, economic activity and occupational status, mother tongue, electoral area, and municipality type.