Study title

The data consist of responses given by the 2015 Finnish Parliamentary election candidates to YLE (Finland's national public service broadcasting company) candidate selector / voting advice application. The candidates were asked to what degree they agreed with 32 statements common to all respondents and some statements relevant only to candidates' electoral districts. The themes covered included, among others, social security, cuts to government spending, NATO membership, immigration and refugee policy, health and social services, and climate change. Further statements surveyed views on, for example, compulsory learning of Swedish at school, nuclear power, and tax cuts. Statements related to the candidates' own electoral district covered, for instance, municipal mergers, notable construction projects, traffic, education, employment, industry, and development of municipal services. Background variables included, among others, the respondent's age, gender, occupational status, level of education, type of employer, party affiliation, mother tongue, yearly income, religious affiliation, and the amount of money used for campaigning.