Finnish Democracy Barometer 2012: Citizens

The survey charted public opinion on the state of democracy in Finland. First, the respondents were asked to what extent they agreed with a number of statements relating to voting, public political influence, methods of influencing, democracy and how well it functioned in their municipality of residence, Finland or the EU. Own interest in politics was also investigated. The respondents evaluated how well a number of influential bodies, such as the President, the Prime Minister, Parliament, the Government, opposition parties and the media had succeeded in performing their tasks. One topic pertained to trust in the President, Parliament, the Government, political parties, politicians, the EU, trade unions, newspapers and other actors. The respondents were also asked what kind of policies President Niinistö should adopt and whether they had voted in the second round of the presidential elections and for whom. Background variables included the respondent's gender, age, education, economic activity and occupational status, employment status, region of residence (NUTS3), type of neighbourhood, major region (NUTS2), the size, composition and annual gross income of the household, and R's political party choice if parliamentary elections were held at the time of the survey, certainty of the party preference, and party choice in the previous parliamentary elections.