Finland 2004: Consumer Habits and Lifestyle

The survey studied the lifestyle and consumer habits of Finnish people. The respondents were asked to compare their lifestyle and consumer habits to the average consumer, and to give their opinions on consumption-related issues. The respondents were asked to evaluate their life situation at the time of the survey, in the past, and in the future on several aspects of life, such as financial situation and general welfare. They were also asked to compare their expenditure and consumer behaviour (concerning e.g. food, housing, leisure activities, alcohol, travel) to those of the average consumer. Furthermore, the respondents were asked which things and household items they considered necessary and what they would have done had they had more money. The survey carried a set of attitudinal statements about consumption and lifestyle (e.g. "I often buy things that are on sale" or "Quality is more important to me than price"). Some questions covered on what grounds respondents make decisions on economical, family or work matters. Questions on social integration measured how closely the respondents felt that they were a part of their family, workplace, Finnish society, European Union etc. The respondents were also asked which generation and social class they most closely identified with. Opinions on values were measured by asking the respondents to rate the importance of various things (e.g. self-respect, world peace, prosperity, independence). Furthermore, the respondents were asked about the safety and security of their own life, their relationships, European integration, Finnish society, and the world. The respondents' feelings of insecurity were measured by asking them about risks at the personal level (unemployment, gambling, casual sexual encounters, etc.), and at the level of society (different types of crime, terrorism, environmental problems, etc.). The survey contained questions about the income, expenditure, savings and debts of the respondents and the household. Credit card use and possible bad credit were charted. The respondents were asked about their methods of coping when short of money (borrowing, reducing expenditure, gambling, etc.) Background variables included the respondent's gender, year of birth, marital status, household size, basic and vocational education, economic activity, occupation, party preference, experiences of unemployment, and financial circumstances as well as the number of children, occupations of the spouse and parents, and voting in elections.

本调查旨在探讨芬兰民众的生活方式与消费习惯。受访者被要求将其生活方式与消费习惯与一般消费者进行对比，并对与消费相关的问题表达个人观点。受访者需对调查时刻、过去以及未来在生活多方面（如财务状况与总体福祉等）的生活状况进行评估。此外，受访者还被要求将自身在食品、住房、休闲活动、酒精、旅行等方面的支出与消费行为与一般消费者进行对比。进一步地，受访者被询问他们认为哪些物品与家庭用品是必需的，以及若拥有更多资金他们将如何支配。调查包含了一系列关于消费与生活方式的态度陈述（例如：“我经常购买打折商品”或“对我而言，品质比价格更重要”）。部分问题涉及受访者在经济、家庭或工作事务中作出决策的依据。关于社会融合的问题旨在衡量受访者认为自己与其家庭、工作场所、芬兰社会、欧盟等社会群体的紧密程度。受访者还被询问他们最认同的世代与社会阶层。通过让受访者对诸如自尊、世界和平、繁荣、独立等各种事物的重要性进行评级，来衡量他们对价值观的看法。此外，受访者还被询问他们对自己生活、人际关系、欧洲一体化、芬兰社会以及世界的安全与保障的感受。通过询问受访者关于个人层面的风险（如失业、赌博、偶然的性行为等）和社会层面的风险（如不同类型的犯罪、恐怖主义、环境问题等），来衡量他们的不安全感。调查还包括关于受访者收入、支出、储蓄与债务以及家庭的相关问题。调查还记录了信用卡的使用情况以及可能的信用问题。受访者还被询问在资金短缺时他们采取的应对方法（如借款、减少支出、赌博等）。背景变量包括受访者的性别、出生年份、婚姻状况、家庭规模、基础教育与职业教育、经济活动、职业、政党偏好、失业经历、财务状况以及子女数量、配偶与父母职业以及选举投票情况。