Study title

This wide-ranging survey charted expert opinion on the welfare of Finnish citizens, and on the present state of welfare services. The respondents were managers or management groups of municipal social services offices, municipal health centres (primary health care), employment offices, local offices of the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela), and chairs of municipal social services boards. There were separate questionnaires for each organisational sector, with somewhat differing questions for each. The questions common to all organisations studied perceptions of the welfare of population in the municipality, increase in the risk of marginalisation for some population groups, and situation of the organisational sector in the municipality. The questions not common to all organisations charted, among others, the financial situation of the organisational sector in the municipality, possibilities of ensuring service provision to citizens with the existing resources, human resources, sufficiency of services provided, citizen participation and inclusion in making decisions about and planning services, and effects of Finland's EU membership on welfare and services. Opinions were also probed on the cooperation between the respondents' organisation and other bodies/actors, effects of benefit sanctions on customers, effects of the municipal and public service reform, and models of service provision. Background variables included the respondent's organisational sector, area of responsibility, and education as well as the province, major region, and type of municipality in which the organisation was located.