Kansalaisten vaikutusvaltavisiot

Författare

• Ilkka Ruostetsaari

Abstract

The study is part of a wider research project, which analyses the Finnish power structure with the methods of elite analysis. The first part of the article deals with the views of the Finns concerning the present distribution of the social influence of institutions. The second part analyses the Finnish people’s assessment of changes in the power position of institutions in the 1990’s. Independent variables in both parts of the article are sex, age, level of education, profession, district of residence, and political views. The results are compared with those of former analogous studies. According to the Finns, societal decisions that affect their lives are influenced the most by banks and big firms. These institutions are followed by the mass media (TV, radio) and the corporate system (the cabinet, employers’ and employees’ organizations). Since the mid 1970s the Finns have to a great extent lost their belief in the influence of the political decision-making system and representative democracy on their lives. The Finns do not believe that the influence of the parliament, the cabinet, the president of the republic and the parties is likely to increase in the 1990s. On the contrary, they believe that the power of the media and the economy will grow..