Consensus or dissensus? Analysing people's perceptions of the necessities of life in Finland

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyse whether or not people are in consensus on what the necessities of life are in Finland. Consensus is analysed through two criteria: a public oriented view on the necessities and agreement between individuals. The study utilises a Finnish postal survey from 2015 where people were asked about the necessity of 23 items. The results suggest that individual views are shaped by personal circumstances and a fully public-oriented view cannot be established. Further, the respondents did not seem to agree on what are necessities. This implies that the minimum living standard could not be established consensually.

Age Differences in Material Deprivation in Finland: How do Consensus and Prevalence-Based Weighting Approaches Change the Picture?

“…One possible factor explaining why weights and deprivation rates with regard to some items partially cancel each out is some kind of selfishness (Mack and Lansley 1985;Mäkinen 2018). With respect to a car, one-week holiday, ability to save, and a spacious apartment of those individuals who did not consider the items a necessity, a higher proportion of younger adults experienced deprivation in terms of the same item compared to other age groups (not shown).…”

“…Van den Bosch 1998; Mäkinen 2018). This has led researchers to conclude that consensus on the necessities is not strong (McKay 2004;Mäkinen 2018). This, in reality, means that people in different circumstances find some items more important for the minimum standard of living.…”

“…The general conclusion seems to be that age is one of the most important factors that shape people's perception of necessity. A study conducted using Finnish data concluded that age is associated with the perception of necessity in 10 out of 23 items, when controlling for gender, poverty status, place of residence, and personal want for the item (Mäkinen 2018). In general, it seems that older people are more likely to regard certain items as necessary compared to younger people (Pantazis et al 2006;Saunders et al 2007;Mack et al 2013;Mäkinen 2018).…”

“…A study conducted using Finnish data concluded that age is associated with the perception of necessity in 10 out of 23 items, when controlling for gender, poverty status, place of residence, and personal want for the item (Mäkinen 2018). In general, it seems that older people are more likely to regard certain items as necessary compared to younger people (Pantazis et al 2006;Saunders et al 2007;Mack et al 2013;Mäkinen 2018). According to a recent study conducted in the UK, the differences in the perception of necessity between the young and the old age groups have become more marked in the twenty-first century (Mack et al 2013).…”

“…Treating each item equally can be difficult to justify since individuals and population subgroups have been found to have rather different opinions on whether a specific item should be considered a necessity (e.g. Van den Bosch 1998;McKay 2004;Mäkinen 2018). Additionally, some items are likely to be more common than others, as households may prioritize different items.…”