Finns consider Yle to be more important in society than in previous years. According to Finns, Yle has also been more successful in its public service mission than before.
Finns' appreciation for Yle has grown slightly, and personal significance has remained at its previous level, says the 2020 KMK-survey (Channel and Service Image Survey).
In 2020, Finns rated Yle's presence in Finnish society as slightly more important than before. Yle's importance received a rating of 8.4 on a scale of 1–10 from Finns, while last year the rating was 8.3. Yle's personal significance to Finns has remained roughly on level with the previous year, with a rating of 7.3 (target: 7.5). Last year, the rating was 7.4
Ninety-six per cent of Finns use Yle's services and content weekly. The figure has remained unchanged from last year. Finns also consume Yle's content more multichannelly than before: during a week, 37% of Finns use at least one Yle television channel, radio channel as well as online and mobile service. Last year, the same figure was 32%.
Yle's online and mobile services reach three out of four Finns weekly. Compared with the previous year, daily use of online and mobile services has grown from 33% to 41%. In addition to reach, Yle's online and mobile services appeal (69%) has risen in the eyes of Finns (2019: 63%).
Yle's radio channels reach more people than before: this year, 53% of Finns have listened to Yle's radio channels on a weekly basis. Last year, the figure was 50%. In addition, Yle's Finnish-language news website is on a strong upward trend for both persons under 45 (6 percentage points) and those aged 45 and over (10 percentage points). Yle Areena continues at the top of streaming services with 54%.
Finns trust Yle, broadcasting in exceptional circumstances acknowledged
Finns' trust in Yle has strengthened slightly from the previous year. Yle is trusted very much or fairly much by 71% of Finns, which is four percentage points more than in the previous year. The share of those with very much trust also increased by four percentage points to 21%. In a comparison of 19 Finnish institutions, Yle is the sixth most trusted and the most trusted of media companies, says the survey.
The annual Yle’s Value to Finns survey examines Finns' perceptions of Yle's success in the performance of Yle’s public service mission, trust in Yle, interaction and responsibility and general assessments of Yle's offering and tax funding.
Finns consider that Yle has done quite well in its public service mission. The average for the performance of public service mission is 4.71, on a scale of 1–6, which is slightly higher than the previous year (2019: 4.63): 91% of respondents thought that Yle performed at least fairly well, and 64% thought well or very well.
Communication in exceptional circumstances has risen to the top of Yle's most successful tasks this year. Also, domestic content in one's native language and the findability of content and services are tasks in which Yle has, in the opinion of Finns, been the most successful. Finns value Yle’s reliable information, high-quality children's programmes and the fact that Yle can help understand the changes taking place in both Finland and elsewhere in the world and gain a wide range of cultural experiences.
Yle is also considered a responsible actor and gets a relatively good rating for its transparency. The share of those who are very satisfied with the Yle tax has increased slightly from the previous year: 73% of the respondents are satisfied with the Yle tax as a form of financing, and 78% feel they get very good value or fairly good value for their tax payment.
Channel and Service Image Survey 2020 is a study commissioned by Yle, and field work was carried out by IRO Research Oy. The survey was conducted in October-November as a survey of the network and telephone interviews with non-online population over the age of 65 to ensure demographic representativeness. A total of 2,929 Finns participated in the study, targeting 15+-year-olds. The sample has been formed to represent the population by gender, mother tongue and place of residence. The results have a margin of error of +/- 1.8 percentage points.
Yle’s Value to Finns survey has been carried out by IRO Research Oy on behalf of Yle. The survey was conducted as telephone interviews between October and November. It targeted people aged 15 to 79, and 1,001 Finns participated. The sample has been formed to represent the population by gender, age and place of residence. The results have a margin of error of +/– 3.2 percentage points.
