The respondents considered Sodankylä an attractive and safe place to live, they regarded the environment as clean and most of them had good social networks in the area. On the other hand,
2,9 3,8 0,8
5,0 4,9 5,8
6,8 8,0 7,4
16,1 9,3
11,3
1,4 2,9 2,9 5,3
5,7 7,2 7,2 7,7 7,7
11,5 12,4
28,2
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Wellness services Transportation Information and communication Research and development Education Accomodation andd food service Agriculture and forestry Wholesale and retail Construction Social and health care Public administration Mining
Share of employed respondents, % Share of Sodankylä residents, %
6
the assessments were more negative across all items compared to the 2018 study. The greatest differences concerned the respondents’ views about the atmosphere in Sodankylä, their opportunities to participate in municipal affairs and their opportunities to influence municipal affairs and the image of the municipality, in all of which the share of positive evaluations dropped more than 20 percentage points.
Figure 5 General attractiveness
A vast majority (72.6%) of the respondents considered Sodankylä a comfortable place to live.
However, their portion decreased from the previous study, in which the share of those who considered Sodankylä a comfortable locality was 8 percentage points larger. The experiences about safety did not change much, as analogously to the 2018 survey, the majority (93.3%) considered Sodankylä a safe place to live in. The environment was deemed clean and tidy by 76 percent of the respondents, while in 2018 the figure was 86 percent.
The image of the municipality was considered positive by 45 percent of the respondents, while previously 66 percent made that assessment. The respondents thought that among other things, the municipal image had suffered from poor fiscal choices and municipal policy, which was characterised as “suhmurointi” (a colloquialism for conniving) by one respondent. Those who were critical about the mining industry also felt that it impaired Sodankylä’s image. The increasingly tense political atmosphere may also have affected the assessments on Sodankylä’s atmosphere as a whole. Half (49.7%) of the respondents felt that Sodankylä had an active atmosphere, while in 2018, 70 percent thought so. The advancement of development projects and new ideas was considered to have suffered from bickering between the decision makers. Opinions on the liveliness of the atmosphere may also have been affected by the fact that the respondents also felt that the place
7,6 As a resident I have good possibilities to participate in and
influence municipal affairs (N=278)
Sodankylä Municipality has a positive image (N=293) Sodankylä has a lively atmosphere (N=290) I have a good social network in Sodankylä (N=295) Sodankylä is a comfortable place to live in (N=296) The environment is clean and tidy (N=293) Sodankylä is a safe place to live in (N=295)
Completely agree Agree Neither agree nor disagree Disagree Completely disagree
7
had become quieter and that the municipal centre lacks urban services such as restaurants. The decreased number of brick-and-mortar establishments was also mentioned to have negatively affected the attractiveness of the locality.
The opportunities to participate and influence municipal affairs were deemed weak. Only every fourth (25.9%) respondent felt their opportunities were good, while almost half (48.8%) of the respondents in 2018 felt that they could participate and influence the affairs of Sodankylä Municipality. In addition, the share of those who felt their opportunities were weak increased from previous 29 percent to 40 percent. The experience of the political atmosphere being tense was reflected on the assessments about the opportunities to participate and influence. For example, the respondents felt that “the public opinion of the municipal residents is being overrun by disputes between the municipal decision makers” and that because of the political differences amongst the decision makers, “the municipal residents’ opportunities to influence are miniscule”.
The share of respondents that had a good social network in the locality was 71 percent, which is almost 10 percentage points less than in 2018 (80.5%). The Covid-19 pandemic restrictions may at least partly have caused the change in how the respondents viewed their social networks. While the data was collected, all public events with more than 20, and later 6, participants were forbidden in the Lapland Hospital District and restaurant activities were restricted as well (Regional State Administrative Agency for Lapland 2021 and Council of State 2021).
Figure 6 Satisfaction with public and private services
The respondents were quite satisfied with municipal services, which were considered good by 67 percent of the respondents. Slightly more than a half (51.2%) were satisfied with private services as well. However, compared to the 2018 study, satisfaction with services as a whole decreased slightly.
The share of those who considered public services good decreased by 4 percentage points, while the decrease was 7 percentage points in the case of private services. Satisfaction with private services has been on a decline since the first survey. The difference between 2016 and 2021 is 26 percentage points, which can be considered a significant change. The growing dissatisfaction can at least partly be explained by the decreased number of brick-and-mortar establishments, an issue that came up already in the background conversations of the previous study. On the other hand, the respondents felt that mining had helped to maintain a higher level of services than would otherwise have been possible in Sodankylä.
6,3 14,3
44,9
52,8
27,2
21,7 17,4
9,4
4,2
0 % 10 % 20 % 30 % 40 % 50 % 60 % 70 % 80 % 90 % 100 %
Private services (N=287) Public services (N=286)
Very satisfied Satisfied Not satisfied nor dissatisfied Dissatisfied Very dissatisfied
8
Figure 7 Effects of mining on the services, attractiveness and the infrastructure of the area
A clear majority of the respondents (81.1%) thought that mining had positively affected career and employment opportunities. As one responded described: ‘A good opportunity, especially for young, educated adults, to get employed, advance one’s career and find new social contacts. A reason to stay in Sodankylä.’ A majority (60.0%) also thought that educational opportunities had improved, even though their share slightly decreased compared to previous survey (2018: 67.8%). On the other hand, a markedly larger share than before thought that mining had negatively affected educational opportunities (2018: 3.2%, 2021: 11.3%). In the open-ended answers, the respondents wrote that the supply of education in the area has become less versatile because of mining.
3,2 Housing costs for the resident (N=253)
Traffic safety (N=273) Possibilities for recreational use of nature (N=268) The quality of apartments/lots (N=220) The supply of apartments/lots (N=244) General safety (N=268) Cultural supply and events (N=260) Municipal land use planning and zoning (N=230) The condition of roads and streets (N=260) Free-time and recreational associations (N=260) The financial condition of Sodankylä municipality (N=264) Municipal services (N=269) Private services in the locality (N=271) Educational opportunities (N=275) Recreational sites/parks/playgrounds (N=275) Employment and career opportunities (N=291)
Very positive effect Positive effect No effect Negative effect Very negative effect
9
The impacts of mining on the financial condition Sodankylä Municipality were mostly (53.8%) regarded as positive, as well as the impacts on public (57.2%) and private (58.3%) services: ‘Mining and mineral exploration has kept the municipality’s level of services higher. There are several shops and even specialty stores.’ However, compared to the previous study, a tenfold share of the respondents thought that private services have suffered from mining (2018: 1.9%, 2021: 11.8%). No clear explanation to the increased dissatisfaction with private services could be found in the data.
A majority (63.3%) of the respondents thought that recreational sites, parks and playgrounds had benefited from mining, whereas previously less than two fifths (37.0%) thought so. The change can partly be explained by the new ice rink, sponsored by Boliden Kevitsa Mining Oy, that was opened in Sodankylä after the previous study. As one respondent stated, ‘The opportunities for physical activities are on a relatively good level, thanks to the sponsoring coming from the mining companies.’ Free-time and recreational associations were considered to have benefited from mining by almost half of the respondents, which is a clearly larger share than previously (34.2%).
A little less than a third (30.6%) of the respondents felt that the recreational use of nature had suffered from mining, while a fifth (19.0%) thought that mining had benefited it. Based on the open-ended responses, the dissatisfaction arises from the expansion of the mining activities to recreational sites that are important to the locals and from the natural environment becoming polluted. On the other hand, some respondents did not consider the mining-related land use problematic because ‘there are plenty of wildlands to wander around.’
Cultural supply and events were seen as benefiting from mining by a little less than a third (28.5%) of the respondents, which is a slightly larger share than previously (2018: 24.2%). The share of those who thought the cultural supply and events had suffered from mining was multiplied from the previous study’s 3 percent to 17 percent in the current survey. No clear explanation to the increase was found in the analysis, but considering the opportunities for cultural activities, the respondents expressed discontent with the poor condition of cultural facilities as well as a limited selection of cultural events. The respondents also wished that the mining companies would participate more in the funding of cultural activities in the area.
Slightly less than a third (30.0%) of the respondents thought that the condition of roads and streets had improved because of mining, while a fourth (25.0%) thought the opposite. The share of both opinions increased from the previous survey, thus making the assessments more polarised. The share of those respondents who felt the condition of roads and streets had improved grew by 6 percentage points and the share of those who thought the opposite grew by 10 percentage points compared to the 2018 study. The respondents specifically linked the experienced decline in road conditions to increased heavy vehicle traffic that causes the roads to deteriorate. However, positive impacts were reported as well: ‘The E75-road has better maintenance from the church to the Kevitsa intersection – that is a plus.’ More than two-fifths (43.6%) of the respondents perceived road traffic safety to have decreased as a result of mining. The heavy vehicle traffic was linked to safety as well:
‘Heavy truck traffic on Route 4 and a lack of stretches to pass are a safety risk in these driving
10
conditions.’ A little less than a third (30.0%) of the respondents thought that the municipal land use planning and zoning had benefited from mining. Slightly more than a fourth (27.8%) deemed mining to have impeded planning and zoning, which is almost twice as many as in the previous study (2018:
14.6%).
As in the 2018 study, when asked about the impacts of mining on the services and attractiveness of the area, the effects on housing costs were deemed the most negative. The development of the housing costs for the residents was seen as negative by 72 percent and as positive by 10 percent of the respondents. Roughly a half of the respondents felt that mining had negatively affected the supply of apartments and/or property, which is a clear increase since the previous study (2018:
35.7%). On the other hand, a fifth (20.9%) of the respondents thought that mining had improved the supply. The quality of apartments and/or property was thought to have improved as an effect of mining by a fifth (19.1%) and declined by a little less than a third (29.5%) of the respondents.
The respondents said that apartment prices and rents had risen because of mining: ‘The selling prices and rents of apartments and business premises have become enormous.’ High housing costs were not seen to correlate with the quality of the apartments: ‘Renting in the area is quite expensive considering that the apartments are often old and the structures and surfaces have not been renovated.’ Expensive housing even came up as a hindrance to moving to the locality: ‘People rather commute to Sodankylä than bring their families here because of the high level of rents.’ Considering property, the greatest dissatisfaction was caused by their small size. As one respondent crystalised the problem: ’The municipality zones lots that are too small. Who would want to live in the countryside and read the newspaper through the neighbour’s kitchen window?’
Concerning the impacts of mining on the services and attractiveness of Sodankylä, the greatest difference to the previous study is in the increased share of negative assessments and the decreased share of those who did not perceive any impacts. On every item, the share of respondents who experienced the impacts as negative has increased.