Political Engagement Research Group (POENG) focuses on studying political attitudes and behavior. Our group examines electoral participation and candidates, political efficacy and political trust, and intergenerational transmission of political values. Our goal is to understand the similarities, differences, and trends in political engagement, with a particular focus on inequalities in participation. Group is part of the Research Centre for Political Behaviour and Agency (PORE).
Members
Research projects
Discontinuities in Intergenerational Transmission of Political Values in Finland (DISCO)
Discontinuities in Intergenerational Transmission of Political Values in Finland (DISCO) examines the extent to which political values are shared between Finns under the age of 40 and their parents, both in the population at large and among families with an immigrant background. The project challenges classical theories of intergenerational value transmission by taking into account the changes that have occurred in Finland over recent decades in political cleavages, parenting practices, family structures, gender roles, and the ethnic and cultural diversity of the population. Understanding how values are transmitted across generations helps anticipate the kinds of values that will shape the future development of Finnish society.
Principal Investigator: Elina Kestilä-Kekkonen
Funder(s): Koneen Foundation, Finnish Cultural Foundation
The Migrant Finnish National Election Study (MIG-FNES)
The Migrant Finnish National Election Study (MIG-FNES) examines the political views, attitudes towards democracy, and electoral participation of immigrants of Russian, Estonian, Somali, Iraqi, and Vietnamese origin in the 2027 Finnish parliamentary elections. At the heart of the project is the question of how Finnish democracy would change if voting rights were extended to all permanent residents of Finland, including non-citizens. The project will collect survey data among both naturalised Finnish citizens and non-citizens who are permanent residents of Finland. MIG-FNES is conducted as part of the national Finnish National Election Study (FNES) and harmonised with European election studies focusing on immigrant populations, enabling comparisons both with the Finnish majority population and with other European countries. The project will also draw on register data on voting. The project will provide research-based knowledge on the legitimacy of representative democracy in which political rights are tied to citizenship.
Principal Investigator: Josefina Sipinen
Funder(s): Research Council of Finland
Partners in Politics: Political Homogamy, Parenthood, and Polarization in Contemporary Societies (POP-GAP)
The POP-GAP project investigates how family formation and parenthood reshape political attitudes, values, and identities across the life course. The project examines couples as key sites of political socialization and explores whether family formation contributes to political convergence, divergence, and the emergence of gendered political trajectories. POP-GAP investigates how couple relationships, parenthood, and relationship dynamics shape political development within households and contribute to wider societal patterns, including the modern gender gap in political attitudes. The findings will advance research on political socialization, family formation, and political inequality, while providing important insights into the long-term consequences of demographic and family change for contemporary democracies.
Principal Investigator: Aino Tiihonen
Funder(s): Tampere Institute of Advanced Study (IAS)
Returning to Political Alienation
Dissatisfaction with politics and citizens’ political alienation have become key concerns in debates about the state of liberal democracies. However, everyday references to alienation often lack a clear definition, while its theoretical foundations and empirical measurement vary considerably. The research project reconceptualises political alienation by examining it not as a static condition but as a multidimensional process linked to both individual experiences and societal structures. The study adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative interview data from different social groups with a survey targeting these groups. Drawing on these data, the project develops new ways of conceptualising and measuring political alienation.
Principal Investigator: Mikko Poutanen
Funder(s): Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation
Media as a Barrier to and Enabler of Political Participation among Linguistic Minorities (MINMEDIA)
This project examines the role of media as either a barrier to or an enabler of political engagement and equal participation among young people belonging to linguistic minorities in Finland. It explores the significance of media for young people's political socialization, engagement, and participation both in general and specifically among the Swedish-speaking minority in Finland and young foreign-language-speaking immigrants. The project focuses on comparisons between Swedish-speaking and Finnish-speaking youth, while also including foreign-language-speaking young people in the analyses whenever possible. Based on the findings, conclusions can be drawn about the potential of media to support young people's development into democratic citizens, as well as the particular importance of media in one's native language for Swedish-speaking youth in Finland.
Principal Investigator: Venla Hannuksela
Funder(s): Brita Maria Renlund's Memorial Foundation
Regional Differentiation of Trust in Public Authorities in Finland in the 2010s and 2020s
This project examines the regional differentiation of trust in public authorities in Finland during the 2010s and 2020s. It investigates the extent to which people's residential environments influence their trust in public institutions and their performance. Particular attention is paid to whether Eastern Finland has developed into a peripheral area of lower trust. The study focuses on trust in decision-making bodies, public administration, and education and healthcare systems at the national, regional, and municipal levels. It examines representative political institutions that exercise decision-making authority, as well as the institutions responsible for implementing their decisions. The focus is on institutions whose operating conditions are significantly shaped by public policy and that play a central role for municipalities and regions due to their societal importance. The project contributes to a broad understanding of how trust in public authorities, a key component of the Finnish welfare state and regional resilience, is structured across different population groups.
Principal Investigator: Jussi Westinen
Funder(s): Eevi and Eemil Tanninen Foundation
Regional Differentiation of Political Engagement
The project examines the regional differentiation of political engagement and, in particular, the position of Eastern Finland in a divided Finland. The project produces knowledge on whether regional differences in political engagement have widened during the 2000s and how Eastern Finland as a region relates to this development. For a long time, Eastern Finland has lagged behind Southern and Western Finland on many indicators (economy, employment, migration, etc.), and voter turnout rates have also diverged. The position of Eastern Finland has become even more challenging during the 2020s. Therefore, the project investigates whether these developments are also reflected in political engagement over time during the 2000s. Special attention is paid to external political efficacy, which measures citizens’ perceptions of whether the political system is responsive to their wishes. The study is linked to the concept of left-behind areas: some regions lag behind others not only in structural indicators, but also experience concerns that the political elite has left them to their own devices.
Principal Investigator: Jussi Westinen
Funder(s): South Karelia Regional Fund of the Finnish Cultural Foundation
Doctoral dissertations
Party–Candidate Dynamics in European Democracies
This research compares the relationships and interactions between political parties and their candidates across different European countries and electoral systems. The dissertation examines the political supply generated jointly by parties and candidates, as well as independently by each. It develops new approaches to modelling political competition in contemporary democracies, where candidates and elected representatives largely dominate the public visibility of politics, while parties continue to shape its substantive policy content. The study seeks to clarify the relationship and accountability between parties and their candidates in the presentation of policy positions, issue priorities, campaign promises, and appeals to specific social groups. The project is scheduled to begin in early 2027.
Researcher: Topias Favorin
Citizens' Trust Profiles as Predictors of Crisis Behavior
This study examines how citizens' trust in political institutions and in other people influences their behavior in crisis situations. It also investigates how citizens' civic knowledge and skills shape this relationship. The aim of the study is to understand what kinds of trust contribute to outcomes such as compliance with official guidelines and acting for the common good during crises. The findings will provide a deeper understanding of citizens' behavior in crisis situations and help build an increasingly resilient Finland.
Researcher: Maria Kekkonen
Funder(s): Olga and Vilho Linnamo Foundation; Otto A. Malm Donation Fund, Eino Jutikkala Fund
Representative Roles in a Multi-Level Representative Democracy
Research examines how Finnish politicians perceive and define their mandates and representative roles across different levels of government. Holding multiple elected offices simultaneously, known as multiple mandates or dual/multiple office-holding, is common in Finland and has raised concerns about the concentration of political power, role conflicts, and blurred lines of accountability. At the same time, the phenomenon is sustained by strong political incentives: despite often critical public attitudes, well-known and experienced candidates tend to perform successfully in elections, while the electoral and career strategies of both parties and politicians further encourage the accumulation of mandates. The study investigates how the roles, responsibilities, and interests associated with different levels of government may come into conflict when the same politicians serve simultaneously in multiple representative positions. By exploring these dynamics, the research provides broader insights into the functioning of Finland’s political system and generates knowledge that can inform political parties and other political actors.
Researcher: Pinja Niinivuori
Funder(s): The Foundation for Municipal Development (KAKS)
News from the tuni.fi
Recent publications
2026
Koivula, A., & Kestilä-Kekkonen, E. (2026). Internal efficacy and political trust: Evaluating political institutions through pandemic crisis policy. International Political Science Review. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/01925121251406732
Hannuksela, V. R. K. (2026). A compensatory boost: how does an open classroom climate moderate a weak political socialisation background? Acta Politica. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41269-026-00441-w
Hannuksela, V., Sipinen, J., & Korventausta, M. (2026). Does political value diversity in class facilitate an open classroom climate? Evidence from linguistic minority schools and majority schools in Finland. Citizenship Social and Economics Education, 25(1), 25-43. https://doi.org/10.1177/14788047251348561
Herne, K., Sipinen, J., Söderlund, P., & Kestilä-Kekkonen, E. (2026). The Influence of Justification Content and Argument Source on Perceived Argument Quality. Argumentation. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10503-026-09694-3
Sipinen, J., Söderlund, P., & von Schoultz, Å. (2026). The best of two worlds? How residence-country contexts affect migrants’ origin-country political engagement. Acta Politica. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41269-026-00425-w
2025
Ahonen, S., Leino, M., & Tiihonen, A. (2025). Framing climate policy around energy independence enhances acceptance and perceived effectiveness: evidence from a Finnish survey experiment. Climatic Change, 178(2), Article 22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-025-03859-x
Hannuksela, V. (2025). Koulun avoin keskustelukulttuuri ja sosiaalinen pääoma vahvistavat ruotsinkielisten nuorten luottamusta poliittisiin kykyihinsä: Lectio praecursoria. Politiikka, 67(3/4), 266-273. https://doi.org/10.37452/politiikka.163542
Hannuksela, V. (2025). Miksi ruotsinkieliset äänestävät enemmän kuin suomenkieliset? Politiikka, 67(3/4), 235-259. https://doi.org/10.37452/politiikka.163866
Hannuksela, V. (2025). Pathways to Voting Intentions Among Swedish-Speaking Adolescents in Finland. Journal of race, ethnicity, and politics, 10(2), 481-502. https://doi.org/10.1017/rep.2025.15
Hannuksela, V. (2025). Political Self-Efficacy Development within a Minority: The Causes and Consequences of Political Self-Efficacy among Swedish-Speaking Finnish Adolescents. omakustanne. https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-03-3986-9
Jakobson, M.-L., Sipinen, J., & Taimla, K. (2025). Are Estonians the true Finns? Homeland and residence country perspectives on support for the populist radical right. International Migration, 63(3), Article e13356. https://doi.org/10.1111/imig.13356
Kestilä-Kekkonen, E., Sipinen, J., & Söderlund, P. (2025). Family Beats School? Adolescents' Turnout Intention on Different Educational Tracks. Scandinavian Political Studies, 48(1), Article 12300. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9477.12300
Kestilä-Kekkonen, E., Sipinen, J., & Söderlund, P. (2025). Mummy’s girls, daddy’s boys: the gendered transmission of political engagement in families. West European Politics, 48(2), 297-322. https://doi.org/10.1080/01402382.2023.2275447
Kestilä-Kekkonen, E., Sipinen, J., Rapeli, L., & Vadén, S. (2025). The role of political engagement of parents in reducing the gender gap in political self-efficacy. European Journal of Politics and Gender, 8(3), 622-644. https://doi.org/10.1332/25151088Y2023D000000005
Sipinen, J., Laine, L., & Kestilä-Kekkonen, E. (2025). Taktinen äänestäminen presidentinvaaleissa. In M. Kujanen, & T. Raunio (eds.), Presidentinvaalit 2024: Ehdokasvalinta, media ja kansansuosio (pp. 104-123). Tampere University Press. https://doi.org/10.61201/tup.1045.c2450
Tiihonen, A., Borg, S., & Isotalo, V. (2025). Äänestäjien sosiodemografinen profiili sekä arvot ehdokasvalintojen taustalla. In M. Kujanen, & T. Raunio (eds.), Presidentinvaalit 2024: Ehdokasvalinta, media ja kansansuosio (pp. 48-79). Tampere University Press. https://doi.org/10.61201/tup.1045.c2448
Vadén, S., Sipinen, J., & Söderlund, P. (2025). School track and adolescents’ climate change attitudes. Environmental Education Research, 31(12), 2573-2592. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2025.246168
Westinen, J., & Sipinen, J. (2025). Oikeutettu odotus ja petetty lupaus? Politiikka, 67(1), 3-6. https://doi.org/10.37452/politiikka.164088
Datasets
Rapeli, L., Sipinen, J. (2025). Gen2 Survey, March 2023. Finnish Social Science Data Archive (FSD). 10.60686/t-fsd3865
Rapeli, L., Sipinen, J. (2025). Civic Engagement of Foreign-language Speakers and People with Foreign Backgrounds in Finland 2023. Finnish Social Science Data Archive (FSD). 10.60686/t-fsd3867
Kestilä-Kekkonen, E., Sipinen, J., Tiihonen, A., Borg, S., Hannuksela, V., Kestilä, L., Kekkonen, M., Korventausta, M., Porkkala, S., Söderlund, P., Vadén, S. (2024). Finnish Adolescents' Political Engagement 2021-2023. Finnish Social Science Data Archive (FSD). 10.60686/t-fsd3882
Tiihonen, A., Hannuksela, V., Korventausta, M., Kestilä-Kekkonen, E, Sipinen, J., Vadén, S., Kekkonen, M., Jaakkola, J. (2024). Lower Secondary School Teachers as Civic Educators 2023. Finnish Social Science Data Archive (FSD). 10.60686/t-fsd3881
Sipinen, J., Kestilä-Kekkonen, E., Borg, S., von Schoulz, Å. (2023). Finnish Municipal Election Candidates 2021. Finnish Social Science Data Archive (FSD). 10.60686/t-fsd3622
Herne, K., Kestilä-Kekkonen, E., Mattinen, L., Sipinen, J. (2022). Argument Quality Evaluation Study 2018. Finnish Social Science Data Archive (FSD). 10.60686/t-fsd3587
Sipinen, J., Kestilä-Kekkonen, E., Tiihonen, A., Borg, S., Aarnio, A. (2020). Finnish Municipal Election Candidates 2017: Finnish and Swedish Speakers. Finnish Social Science Data Archive. 10.60686/t-fsd3280
Sipinen, J., Kestilä-Kekkonen, E., Tiihonen, A., Borg, S., Aarnio, A. (2019). Finnish Municipal Election Candidates 2017: Foreign Language Speakers. Finnish Social Science Data Archive (FSD). 10.60686/t-fsd3281
Report: Civil Servants' Trust in Citizens
Civil Servants’ Trust in Citizens examines the trust that civil servants working in government ministries place in citizens. Trust is one of the key resources of public administration, as it reduces uncertainty, enables cooperation, and strengthens the legitimacy of democratic institutions. Research on public administration has primarily examined trust from the perspective of citizens, focusing on citizens’ trust in public authorities and institutions. However, trust is a reciprocal relationship, and public officials’ trust in citizens is also important for the effective functioning of public administration. The report provides essential knowledge about this relationship and the underlying factors that shape the development of trust.
Principal Investigator: Elina Kestilä-Kekkonen
Funder(s): Ministry of Finance
Privacy Notice
We provide this privacy notice to inform you, in accordance with data protection legislation, how we process your personal data. In data protection legislation, the term “data subject” refers to the person to whom the personal data relate. In this privacy notice, we refer to the data subject as “you” and the controller as “we”.
This privacy notice may be updated or amended where necessary. If any change is significant, we will notify you in the manner required by law.
This privacy notice came into force on 20 October 2026.
1. Controller
The controller for the research project is:
Tampere University Foundation sr (Tampere University)
Business ID: 2844561-8
Kalevantie 4, 33100 TAMPERE
The research project is conducted within an employment relationship with Tampere University Foundation sr (Tampere University).
The contact person for matters relating to the processing of personal data is Elina Kestilä-Kekkonen, Professor of Political Science, who can be contacted at elina.kestila-kekkonen [at] tuni.fi, +358 50 408 6215. The University switchboard can be reached at +358 (0) 294 52 11.
For general questions concerning data protection at Tampere University, you may contact the Data Protection Officer at dpo [at] tuni.fi.
2. Scope and purpose of data processing
Name of the research project: Civil Servants’ Trust in Citizens
This is a one-off study running until 28 February 2027.
The study is conducted by the Political Engagement Research Group (POENG) at Tampere University, led by Professor of Political Science Elina Kestilä-Kekkonen. Data collection is carried out by Professor of Political Science Elina Kestilä-Kekkonen (elina.kestila-kekkonen [at] tuni.fi), doctoral researcher Maria Kekkonen (maria.kekkonen [at] tuni.fi) and research assistant Roosa Pajunen (roosa.pajunen [at] tuni.fi).
The study examines ministry officials’ trust in citizens and the background factors that influence the development of that trust. The study also examines officials’ views on citizens’ political efficacy and the significance of these views for interactions with citizens.
The survey will be distributed to employees of ministries by the Ministry of Finance. The survey asks about trust in citizens through a range of statements. For statistical analysis purposes, indirect personal data and special category personal data are also collected. In open-ended questions, respondents are asked to avoid providing identifying or otherwise sensitive information. The software used to collect survey responses and analyse the data is available to the researchers under Tampere University licences and complies with information security and data protection requirements. No data will be transferred outside the EU/EEA.
The dataset will be anonymised immediately so that individual respondents cannot be identified. The anonymised dataset will be archived in the Finnish Social Science Data Archive (FSD). After archiving, all other versions of the dataset will be destroyed. The archived dataset will be licensed so that it can be downloaded and used for teaching, research and student theses. Reporting of results in publications by the Ministry of Finance and any other publications will also be carried out in such a way that individual respondents cannot be identified.
Your personal data are processed as part of the conduct of scientific research. The purpose of processing personal data is to carry out the scientific research described above.
3. Lawful basis for processing personal data
The lawful basis for processing your personal data is:
☒ a task carried out in the public interest or the exercise of official authority vested in the controller: scientific or historical research, or statistical purposes
Where special category personal data (e.g. health data or data relating to criminal convictions) are processed, the lawful basis is:
☒ scientific or historical research, or statistical purposes carried out in the public interest
4. Sources and types of personal data
Personal data may be collected either directly from you or from other sources, depending on the circumstances. Data are obtained:
☒ from you as the data subject
We process the following categories of personal data:
☒ General personal data: age group, gender, education, ministry, years of service, position
☒ Special categories of personal data (sensitive personal data): Political opinions
We process data relating to the following categories of data subjects:
☒ Employees ☐ Students ☒ Research participants ☐ Researchers ☐ Other
5. Transfer and disclosure of personal data
In certain circumstances, your personal data may be transferred outside the EU/EEA to third countries or international organisations. In connection with such transfers, an adequate level of data protection is ensured through appropriate transfer mechanisms (e.g. standard contractual clauses) and technical safeguards.
☒ Your personal data will not be transferred outside the EU/EEA.
☒ Your personal data are not regularly disclosed to other controllers.
Of the individuals responsible for conducting the study, doctoral researcher Maria Kekkonen works on a personal grant and is therefore not employed by Tampere University. A separate agreement concerning the processing of personal data has been concluded with Maria Kekkonen for this research project. Elina Kestilä-Kekkonen and Roosa Pajunen are employed by Tampere University and therefore no separate agreements are required in this context. Should it become necessary for personal data to be processed by anyone other than the individuals named above, appropriate agreements concerning the processing of personal data will be concluded.
6. Protecting personal data
Your personal data are protected using appropriate technical and organisational safeguards. We protect your data through technical measures including antivirus protection, firewalls and regular software updates. In addition, access requires a username, password and, where appropriate, multi-factor authentication.
We also protect your data through organisational measures. Our staff are bound by confidentiality obligations and access to data is restricted internally. Where necessary, we also implement specific additional safeguards, such as separate storage locations.
Any paper-based materials are protected by storing them in locked premises.
Dataset:
☒ collected without direct identifiers
In this study, your data are further protected as follows: Survey responses are stored on a network drive maintained by Tampere University. Because the study includes special category personal data, the data are encrypted using dedicated encryption software in accordance with data protection legislation. The network drive can only be accessed from university-managed computers protected by a username, password and multi-factor authentication. Access to the network folder is granted only to the members of the research team. The software used to collect survey responses and analyse the data is available to the researchers under Tampere University licences and complies with information security and data protection requirements.
7. Retention period for personal data
Your personal data will be retained for as long as is considered necessary in each case. Retention periods are also affected by legal requirements. We comply with our Information Governance Plan (TOS) and applicable legislation when retaining personal data.
In this study, indirect personal data collected through survey questions or otherwise appearing, for example in open-ended responses, will be anonymised so that individual research participants can no longer be identified.
After the completion of the study, the research records containing personal data:
☒ will be archived in anonymised form without identifiers
8. Profiling and automated decision-making
Your personal data will not be used for profiling or automated decision-making.
9. Data subjects’ rights and how to exercise them
Data protection legislation grants you certain rights as a data subject. These rights depend partly on the lawful basis for processing your personal data. In certain cases, your rights may be restricted, for example due to a statutory obligation or where processing is carried out for scientific research, statistical purposes or archiving. Where your rights are restricted, we will implement the appropriate and necessary safeguards required by law. You have the following data protection rights, which you may exercise by submitting a request.
- Right of access: You have the right to obtain information about the processing of your personal data and to access the personal data concerning you.
- Right to rectification: You have the right to request the correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data. In addition, you have the right to request the deletion of personal data that are no longer necessary.
- Right to restriction of processing: You may have the right to restrict the processing of personal data in situations provided for by law. This right may apply, for example, if you believe that personal data concerning you are inaccurate, are being processed unlawfully, or if you have objected to the processing of your data.
- Right to object: In certain circumstances, you have the right to object to the processing of your personal data on grounds relating to your particular situation.
- Right not to be subject to automated decision-making: You have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, which produces legal effects concerning you or similarly significantly affects you. Certain exceptions apply.
- Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority: You have the right to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority (the Data Protection Ombudsman) if you believe that the processing of your personal data infringes data protection legislation.
Office of the Data Protection Ombudsman
Visiting address: Lintulahdenkuja 4, 00530 Helsinki
Postal address: PO Box 800, 00531 Helsinki
Switchboard: +358 29 56 66700
Fax: +358 29 56 66735
Email: tietosuoja [at] om.fi