For researchers

General information

The University of Helsinki Citizen Barometer is a research infrastructure established in 2023. It is maintained by the Helsinki Institute for Social Sciences and Humanities (HSSH), and is led by Åsa von Schoultz, Professor of Political Science.   

The Citizen Barometer consists of online panels designed for survey research. Currently, we maintain two panels: one consisting of approximately 6,000 randomly recruited Finns aged 18–80, and another consisting of about 5,000 self-recruited panelists. 

We are now opening up for collaboration with the research community, and it is possible to apply for space in our surveys. At present, the call for collaboration is only open for researchers affiliated with the University of Helsinki. Applications may include individual questions/batteries of questions, experiments, or full surveys. The average response time for a single study must not exceed 10 minutes. 

If you or your research group are interested in posing questions on societally relevant topics, you are welcome to apply for collaboration with us. This autumn, we are organizing two application rounds. The first deadline is August 20th, with fieldwork estimated for October. The second deadline is October 20th, with fieldwork estimated for December.

What does it cost?

The cost of using the Citizen Barometer depends on your preferences regarding sample type, sample size, and the number of questions. Our operation is nonprofit, and the fee only covers the costs of maintaining the Citizen Barometer. 

Application

Submit your proposal for questions, surveys, or experiments to the Citizen Barometer's email address: medborgarbarometern@helsinki.fi and to Åsa von Schoultz: asa.vonschoultz@helsinki.fi by 20.8.2025 or 20.10.2025. The application can be written in Swedish, Finnish or English, and should include the following information:  

• Name of the lead researcher (including contact details) and possible research team 
• Background and purpose of the study (max. 1 page) 
• List of all questions and the order in which they are to be asked 
• Description of any experimental designs or other special requirements 
• Information on the number of responses needed and which of the panels (based on random sample or self-recruitment) that can be used 
• Information regarding the ethics review or a justification for why it is not needed 

How it works

Applications are quality reviewed by us, and if needed, the Citizen Barometer steering group is consulted. We reserve the right to reject questions that are not suited to the Citizen Barometer or whose scientific quality is insufficient.  

If necessary, question formulations and translations are discussed with the research group that has submitted the application. Please note that all surveys are carried out in both Swedish and Finnish. If needed, we can help with translating questions.  

We will manage the data collection, and once completed, the research group receives both the data and a codebook that includes the requested variables as well as the relevant background variables. The data is weighted to be representative of the adult Finnish population.  

Common background variables (age, gender, region, party preference, political interest, ideology, etc.) have been collected in previous survey rounds. These can be linked to the current data collection and do therefore not need to be asked again. 

Please contact us if you have any questions. We look forward to collaborating with you!