Study title

The sociobarometer is a wide-ranging survey charting expert opinion on the welfare of Finnish citizens and the present state of welfare services in Finland. The 2018 sociobarometer is a special sociobarometer survey which charts the effects of the health and social services reform (sote reform) and the 2017 reform where responsibility for granting basic social assistance was transferred to the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela) from municipal social welfare offices. The respondents were managers of municipal health and social service offices, the management of Kela, social workers and Kela employees. Funding for the study consisted of funding granted by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment to the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela) for the purpose of conducting the survey as well as funding the Finnish Federation for Social Affairs and Health (SOSTE) received from Veikkaus. First, the survey charted opinions on the income security system and the development of social inequality in Finland over the past 10 years. The managers of municipal health and social service offices, social workers and the management of Kela were presented with various statements concerning the income security system (e.g. whether they thought that the level of different benefits was too low and sanctions related to social assistance lead to inequality). They were also asked to put several goals of the basic social assistance reform in order of importance. The next theme concerned the health and social services reform (sote reform), and questions were presented to managers of municipal health and social service offices, social workers and the management of Kela. The respondents were asked for their opinion on a system that would guarantee universal basic income for all persons permanently residing in Finland and on the health and social services reform in general. Additionally, managers of municipal health and social service offices and social workers were...