European Values Systems Study Group (EVSSG) carried out the first EVS surveys in several Western European countries in 1981. The World Values Surveys series was started when the original EVS study evoked such interest that it was replicated in 14 additional countries. EVS surveys have been carried out in four waves: 1981, 1990, 1999 and 2008. WVS data have been collected in five waves: 1981-1984, 1990-1993, 1995-1997, 1999-2001, and 2005-2006.
Structurally, the international surveys of the World Values Survey (WVS) series resemble the Eurobarometers and the ISSP surveys. Citizen activities, attitudes, and basic values in different countries are studied with integrated, structured surveys.
European Values Study group is responsible for the EVS data collection. The planning of the WVS, and the coordination and documentation of the aggregated four-wave data file has been carried out by the World Values Survey network, under the direction of Professor Ronald Inglehart.
Finland has participated in WVS from the very beginning with materials collected by Gallup Finland (TNS Gallup Ltd). WVS/EVS data are usually collected with face-to-face interviews. However, in 1990 and in 2009 (the fourth wave of EVS), the Finnish material was collected via GallupChannel, i.e. by using Internet terminals installed in respondents' homes.
WVS/EVS data and documentation are also available on the Values Survey Database web site. The service is free, but downloading requires registration.
The data is the Finnish subset for the 1995-1996 World Values Survey. The following topics are surveyd: what areas in life the respondents think as important in their lives, are they satisfied with their life and economic circumstances of their household, and how is their health. In view of child rearing, the respondents were asked what qualities and characteristics should be encouraged in a child and what things should children learn at home. Under study were also the respondents' membership in various organisations and associations as well as their expectations and experiences of being in control of one's own life. Opinions on the ideal number of children and the position of women in society were charted. In relation to politics, the respondents were asked about their political attitudes, views on the Finnish democracy, duties and obligations of the government, and the scope of corruption and bribery in the country. Also studied was which party the respondent would vote in parliamentary elections, and what party (s)he would not vote for under any circumstances. The respondents were also asked how their families fared economically the past year. Background variables included, among others, the respondent's marital status, number of children, gender, age, education, occupation, economic activity, working hours, and household income.
Multistage stratified sampling
A three-stage stratified sampling was used. In the first stage the number of subjects required by the survey was regionally divided by province. In the second stage the number of subjects was divided within each province by municipality subgroup. City municipalities were grouped into big and small cities and rural municipalities into three different subgroups based on the occupational structure of the population. The third stage consisted of sampling starting points (starting addresses) in the selected municipalities. The number of starting points depended on the population size. The interviews were conducted with the random-walk method. Six interviews were made starting from the randomly selected starting points. One member corresponding to the age and gender eligibility criteria was chosen for the interview from each sample household.