Rural Finland 2009: Rural Development Specialists

The survey studied expert opinion on the significance, development and future of rural areas in Finland. The barometer was developed for the Landsmarks Programme carried out by the Finnish Innovation Fund (Sitra). First, views were probed on what kind of neighbourhoods the respondents saw as fulfilling people's hopes of a good life (living in a city, living in a rural area or alternating between living in a rural and an urban area, living in a neighbourhood that is neither rural nor urban). The respondents were presented with pairs of statements relating to the countryside, its image, services, teleworking etc. and asked which statements were closer to their own views. The respondents were presented with a number of ways to develop rural areas and asked to rate their importance. Some questions explored what kind of business ventures they though could have potential in the countryside (e.g. logistics services, organic production, renewable energy production), and what they saw as the most important goals for the development of their rural area. Further questions studied what the respondents believed the countryside would be like in 2020 and what they hoped it would be like in 2020. Finally, views were probed on what the significance of the countryside would be for the Finns in 10 years.