Data on Children, Childhood and Family
FSD survey series | FSD individual datasets | Search FSD database | Other data and information sources | Links related to children, childhood and family
People doing research on children, childhood and family might be interested in certain datasets and survey series archived at the Finnish Social Science Data Archive (FSD). In addition, several datasets on other topics contain variables that might be useful for childhood and family research. This web page presents relevant FSD data and other online information sources on children, childhood and family.
All quantitative datasets archived at the FSD have study descriptions in English. More detailed information on the variables of each dataset can be found in the codebooks attached to each survey. However, there are codebooks in English only for those datasets which have already been translated into English. More datasets are translated on request.
The data archived at the FSD are freely available for research and teaching purposes. More information on how to order data.
FSD Survey Series
Family barometers
The topics in the Family Barometer surveys have included assistance between different generations, sufficiency of public support and services, the division of domestic responsibilities, work-life balance, parenting, child-rearing, and children's pastimes and hobbies.
» FSD2283 Family Barometer 2005: Parenthood and Fatherhood
» FSD2130 Family Barometer 2003: Couple Relationships under Strain
» FSD1176 Family Barometer 2001: Children's Leisure Time
» FSD1114 Family Barometer 2000: Child-Rearing
» FSD1180 Family Barometer 1999: Implementation of Parenting
» FSD1178 Family Barometer 1998: Responsibility for Everyday Life
» FSD1179 Family Barometer 1997: Conceptions of Family
Attitudes towards Corporal Punishment of Children in Finland
Central Union for Child Welfare study has charted the use of corporal punishment in upbringing and attitudes towards it in Finland since the 1980s. The datasets archived at FSD are from the 2000s. More information in the Attitudes towards Corporal Punishment of Children in Finland series description.
School Well-being Profile
This survey series focuses on well-being in Finnish schools. There are four target groups: primary schools (grades 4-6), lower secondary schools (grades 7-9), upper secondary institutes, and personnel. Data are collected every school year and the main themes are school environment, interpersonal relations in the school, means for self-fulfilment, and state of health. The first datasets archived at the FSD are from the school year 2004-2005. More information in the School Well-being Profile series description.
Finnish Local Government 2004
Finnish Local Government 2004 is a joint research programme launched by the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, universities and research centres. The project engages in a systematic and comparable analysis of the development of the municipal sector in 1995 - 2004. One of the themes in the survey series has been child day care in day nurseries and family day care, and as a municipal service in 1997, 1999 and 2003. More information in the Finnish Local Government 2004 series description.
Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development (JYLS)
The longitudinal study has followed the same individuals for over 40 years. When the project was launched, the participants were eight years old. Further data collections have taken place when they were 14, 20, 27, 33, 36, 42, and 50 years old. Family is one of the main themes. Topics covered include the participants' childhood, own children, family situation, and views on how to bring up children. More information in the Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development (JYLS) series description.
» FSD2109 Self-Ratings of 42-Year-Olds 2001
» FSD2059 Teacher Ratings, Peer Nominations and Personality Tests of 8-Year-Olds 1968
Eurobarometers
Eurobarometers are financed by the European Commission and carried out simultaneously in the European Union member countries. The surveys study the social and political opinions of persons living in the member countries. The diverse topics in the Eurobarometers offer multifaceted information suitable for child, childhood and family research, and enable international comparisons. Some surveys have themes such as childhood and family, and background variables in most of the surveys include information on family, household, and children. For example, take a look at the variables in FSD0095 The Mannheim Eurobarometer Trend File 1970-2002, which deal extensively with European integration, attitude towards the EU, socio-political attitudes, and political behaviour. In addition, there are various index variables. The background variables in the survey offer information on the respondents' families in general, their household composition, and the size of their families. The variables included in the Trend File appear at least in five different Eurobarometers.
European Social Survey (ESS)
European Social Survey (ESS) is a biennial multi-country survey collected with face-to-face interviews. Themes in the survey series include topical social variables such as people's social status, social networks, and social structures. Socio-demographic variables include information on family and household. In addition, the data from the second wave include a separate section on family, work and wellbeing.
» Take a look at the variables in the ESS2-2004 survey's family, work and wellbeing section (in NSD's ESS service).
International Social Survey Programme (ISSP)
The ISSP data collection started in 1985, and the number of participating countries is today 39. Finland became a member of the programme in 2000. The 2001 and 2002 surveys are especially suitable for childhood and family research. The same topics have also been studied before Finland became a member of the programme.
» FSD0122 ISSP 2002 : Family and Changing Gender Roles III
» FSD0119 ISSP 2002 : Family and Changing Gender Roles III : Finnish Data
» FSD0120 ISSP 2001 : Social Networks II
» FSD0116 ISSP 2001 : Social Networks II : Finnish Data
World Values Survey (WVS)
The World Values Surveys series investigates the citizens of various countries by comparing their activities, societal values, and attitudes. The WVS data have been collected in five waves since 1981 (1981 - 1984, 1989 - 1993, 1995 - 1997, 1999 - 2000, and 2005-2006). The variables in these surveys deal with the importance of different topics, such as family life, work, and leisure time. Attitudes relating to family life and marriage have been studied by asking the respondents to name the keys to a successful marriage. In addition, opinions were charted on marriage and the traditional family model, the respondents' own children, abortion, gender roles, the traditional and liberal parenting, and the characteristics and values the children should adopt at home.
» FSD2118 World Values Survey 2005 : Finnish Data
» FSD0154 World Values Survey 2000 : Finnish Data
» FSD0153 World Values Survey 1996 : Finnish Data
Also take a look at the other survey series archived at the FSD. They may contain variables that are perfectly suited for your point of view, although the series is not mentioned on this page.
FSD Individual Datasets
FSD2554 Children's Rights 2010
The survey studied public knowledge and awareness of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in Finland. Similar surveys, archived at the FSD, have been conducted in 2008 and 2009.
FSD2547 Nordic Study on Child Rights to Participate 2009-2010: Nordic Countries
The main aim of the survey, conducted by UNICEF, was to investigate to what extent children and young people can influence matters at home, school and in society and what issues they would like to have influence on. Other main themes included how much children and young people know about children's rights and human rights in general. This integrated dataset contains the responses of 5,775 pupils in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Island and Denmark.
FSD2548 Well-being of Finnish Multiple Birth Families 2009
The survey studied the well-being and financial situation of multiple birth families in Finland. Multiple birth families have one or two pairs of twins, triplets (or quadruplets etc).
FSD2758 Sixth Graders' Views on Play, School and Hobbies 2008
The study investigated the views of Finnish sixth graders in primary education on play, school, hobbies and leisure time.
FSD2416 Child Victim Survey 2008
The survey focused on violence against children and adolescents in Finland, surveying different forms and manifestations of violence. The respondents were sixth grade (12-13 year olds) and ninth grade (15-16 year olds) pupils in schools. There were over 13,000 respondents. The main themes were experiences of crime, sibling and peer victimization, witnessing domestic violence, corporal punishment or other violence perpetrated by a parent, sexual abuse, harassment and threats via the internet and mobile phone (cyber-bullying), and school bullying. The questions on domestic violence, sexual relationships and sexual abuse were the same as presented in the FSD2406 Child Victim Survey 1988.
FSD2234 Sport Survey 2005-2006 : Young People and Children
The survey investigated the sporting activities of Finnish children and young people. The respondents were asked about where they exercised and in what sports they participated. Attitudes towards sports organisations in Finland were also charted. Parents answered on behalf of children under 12 years old, and young people aged between 12 and 18 were interviewed in person. Mainly the same set of questions was asked in the 2001-2002 corresponding sport survey (FSD1285).
FSD2555 Family, Parenthood, Children's Well-Being and Risks of Exclusion 2002
The survey explored the external opportunities and internal resources of Finnish families with children under school age.
FSD1285 Sport Survey 2001-2002 : Young People and Children
This survey investigated the sporting activities of Finnish children and young people aged between 3 and 18. The study investigated how much they exercised and in what sports they participated. The respondents' attitudes towards sports organisations in Finland were also charted. Parents answered on behalf of children under 12 years old, and young people aged 12-18 were interviewed in person. Mainly the same set of questions was asked in the 2005-2006 corresponding sport survey (FSD2234).
FSD2076 Life Course 1971 - 2002
This longitudinal study covered the impact of ability (intelligence), social background and educational achievement on a person's life course (life history). In the early 1970s, the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities (ITPA) was used to test the verbal intelligence of 3 - 9 years old Finnish children. In the 1980s data were collected on the research subjects' school achievement and performance, and educational choices after lower secondary education. A survey conducted in 1991 studied educational and occupational career, housing, couple and family relationships, income, health, hobbies, etc. Further questions covered satisfaction with life and work, happiness, loneliness, life control, whether the subjects felt they had achieved their goals, etc. In 2002 another survey was conducted, with many of the questions presented in 1991 repeated.
FSD1186 Sociobarometer 2001
The respondents in this study were managers or management groups of municipal social services, health centres, employment offices, social and health organisations, or local offices of the Social Insurance Institution of Finland. The respondents evaluated the welfare of various groups of children and whether the steps taken to promote it had been sufficient. Further questions asked about their views on the changes in child welfare, on the possibilities to secure the services children need, and on the significance of child ombudsman services (child advocacy services) on the legal status of children.
FSD1255 Mothers of Grown-up Children 2000
The data contain the structured parts of a reader survey conducted in 2000 by the weekly supplement NYT of the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat. The survey was directed to mothers of grown-up children, and the number of respondents was 198. The respondents were presented with various questions on bringing up their children, and on their current relationship with the grown-up children. The sample is not statistically representative of mothers of grown-up children living in Finland.
FSD1113 Paid and Unpaid Work in Families 1998
The survey studied the division of paid and unpaid work in families, and problems related to work-life balance. The dataset was part of a joint European project including 11 countries, and it was collected at the Population Research Institute at the Finnish Family Federation.
FSD1112 Adults as Receivers of Help 1996
The survey was carried out by the Population Research Institute of the Family Federation of Finland, and it studied how different generations help each other in Finland, focusing on help received by adults aged 18-46. The variables in the material cover family background, family relationships at the time of the survey, communication and help received, responsibility for the care of children, and the estimated change in the need for help in the future.
FSD1219 Poverty and Welfare Survey 1995
The survey was among the first to explore the effects of the 90s recession on poverty and welfare differences. The data were collected by the Department of Social Policy at the University of Turku. The survey resulted in a publication called Who is poor?. In addition to questions on the respondents' own financial resources and situations in life, they were also asked what would be the minimum income for one adult and for two-adults and two-children family, and whether the minimum social security benefits would be sufficient for this family.
FSD2621 Child Sexual Abuse in Finland 1983-1984: Public Authority Survey
The survey investigated child sexual abuse cases that had come to the attention of the Finnish authorities in 1983-1984. The postal survey was sent to social workers throughout Finland.
See also:
» Finnish Lifestyles Survey 1995
» Scandinavian Welfare Survey 1972
Search FSD Database
The surveys listed on this page are only a small sample of all data related to children, childhood and family archived at the FSD. It is therefore worthwhile to search the FSD's data catalogue, also by keywords. See also the search instructions.
Other Data and Information Sources
» CESSDA (Council of European Social Science Data Archives) portal, a gateway to many kinds of surveys at data archives throughout Europe.
Links Related to Children, Childhood and Family
Below are listed only a few of the many websites related to childhood and family research. The link lists on these pages lead to numerous information sources related to the topic.
» National Institute for Health and Welfare
» Statistics Finland
» Ministry of Social Affairs and Health
» Parliament of Finland
» Family Research Centre of the University of Jyväskylä
» Finnish Youth Research Society
