Since 1984, the Finnish Business and Policy Forum (EVA) has conducted biennial surveys studying changes in Finnish attitudes, values, and perceptions of the present and the future. The series, formerly known as Finnish National Attitudes, aims at measuring and analysing citizens' views on Finnish society. The data allow a detailed empirical analysis and systematic follow-up of change in public opinion. Each dataset contains both new themes and recurring themes with questions repeated over the years.
Themes covered include democracy, market economy, welfare, environment, society and politics, Finland's international position, economic depression, economic growth, Finnish identity, and views on the future. The surveys are funded by EVA and carried out by Yhdyskuntatutkimus Oy. The FSD collections also include surveys on values and attitudes of corporate executives (for example, FSD1091), in which some of the questions presented in this series have been repeated.
The survey charted Finnish attitudes and values. The respondents were presented with a series of attitudinal statements covering occupational life, work-life balance, social welfare, environmental issues, influencing, decision-making, political life, economy, globalisation, and political power. Confidence in various actors in society, such as the Parliament, the legal system, the police, various media, the social security system, he education system, and civic organisations was surveyed.
The respondents' views were charted on equality in society and inequities related to income distribution and health, origin and ethnicity, and different generations, age groups, and regions. They were also asked to give their opinions on the importance of various factors (e.g. regulation of world economy, excesses of the American market economy system, mistakes made by the current and previous governments, actions of the media, the market system as such) in causing the current economic depression and unemployment. The respondents also assessed the state of the economy and employment at the time of the survey as well as after one, two and five years.
Further questions probed the respondents' attitudes towards the current Finnish market economy. Views were charted on the freedom of enterprise, competition, sociality, speculation, enterprises exercising a monopoly, the power of the economy, the appreciation of work, the power of the trade unions, hard capitalism, paternalistic socialism, and domestic ownership. In addition, satisfaction with income level, relationships, work, possibilities to influence in society, life in general, municipal welfare services, and the functioning of the economy in everyday life was investigated. Finally, the respondents were asked about their attitudes towards EU membership and replacing the Finnish mark with euro, and whether EMU membership and euro had benefited or harmed Finland in the economic crisis of 2009.
Background variables included the respondent's gender, age group, size of municipality of residence, education, and industry of employment.
Simple random sampling
Finnish-speaking persons received a questionnaire in Finnish and Swedish-speaking in Swedish. The number of adequately completed questionnaires was 2,346. The data are representative. Most important demographic, social and regional distributions of the sample corresponded relatively accurately with those of the whole population. Distortion was mostly perceived in the age structure. Older respondents returned the questionnaire somewhat more often than younger ones.