Partnering in other projects

We are actively involved as a collaborative partner in numerous projects undertaken by various research institutes and universities.

Churches in times of change

The Baptism in Times of Change project of the Nordic Lutheran national churches is a pilot project in the broader Churches in Times of Change project, which aims at closer Nordic cooperation in the face of shared challenges. The project by the Nordic Churches can also be seen as a regional project coordinated in relation to the Lutheran World Federation.

The baptism project has compiled research material related to baptisms, organised a number of webinars and prepared recommendations related to baptisms at the beginning of 2022. The recommendations are presented in Finnish The link opens in a new tabin the blog by Senior Specialist Jyri KomulainenThe link opens in a new tab who has participated in Nordic cooperation as a Finnish researcher.

For more informationThe link opens in a new tab

Complexity and Beyond in Studies of Religiosity in the Nordic Countries (CBSR)

CBSR is a joint-Nordic multidisciplinary project examining the various dimensions of the religious situation in the Nordic Countries. The network of researchers includes religious scholars, political scientists, and legal scholars. One aim of the network is to develop a more precise and multifaceted image of factors that have affected changes in religiosity in the Nordic Countries in recent decades. Another goal is to develop methodology based on complexity and to reinforce Nordic cooperation in religious studies.

The CBSR project includes three seminars and workshops in 2021–2022 with the aim of bringing together researchers from different fields to illuminate different aspects of the developments. Kimmo KetolaThe link opens in a new tab, a researcher at the Church Institute for Research and Advanced Training, has actively participated in the operations of the network. His research connected with the project includes changes occurring in in religious identities in the Nordic Countries.

Further information on the projectThe link opens in a new tab

Consortium for International Surveys of Congregations (CISC)

Change in religiosity has been studied extensively through surveys directed at individual people, but the cultural change is also reflected in the structure, forms of action, and composition of religious communities. So far, there is little researched data that would enable international comparisons of congregations and religious communities. The project has been prompted by questionnaires used by congregations in the United States and Switzerland.

The goal of the CISC project is to create a paper survey instrument for conducting congregation surveys, and to use it in the production of nationally representative survey data on religious communities at the local level and to use them to compile an extensive comparative corpus of research material.

The project is headed by Prof. Ulla Schmidt of Aarhus University in Denmark, and it includes researchers from nine different countries: Denmark, Switzerland, Finland, The Netherlands, Germany, the United States, Australia, Croatia, and Spain. Researchers from Finland include Kimmo KetolaThe link opens in a new tab (Church Institute for Research and Advanced Training) and Kati Tervo-NiemeläThe link opens in a new tab (University of Eastern Finland).

Further information on the projectThe link opens in a new tab

European Values Study (EVS)

The European Values Study is a broad multinational questionnaire programme repeated at regular intervals, concerning fundamental human values. Collecting the material for the study began in 1981 and since then, material has been collected in waves of surveys repeated every nine years. The study involves international research data that makes it possible to monitor changes occurring in Finnish values over time and to compare them with other countries. 

In Finland, the official cooperative partner in the EVS project is the Finnish Social Science Data Archive FSDThe link opens in a new tab. Kimmo KetolaThe link opens in a new tab, a researcher at the Church Institute for Research and Advanced Training, oversaw the collection of the material in the 2017 wave of data collection in cooperation with FSD.

The data on Finland is stored for use by Finnish researchers in the Finnish Social Science Data Archive and has been submitted to the international research group to be included in the international material. It is kept in the GESIS-DAS Data ArchiveThe link opens in a new tab in Cologne, Germany, where it can be accessed for academic research and instruction.

In addition to religiosity, EVS surveys extensively examine views and values related to the everyday lives of people. In the 2017 survey respondents were asked about their views on many topics, including, among other things:

  • the importance of family and work
  • concepts of morality
  • confidence in various human groups and institutions, and attitudes that they face
  • national pride
  • interest in politics and economic policy attitudes
  • environmental attitudes

The special theme for 2017 was identity and solidarity.

Further information on the projectThe link opens in a new tab, project's Facebook pageThe link opens in a new tab