Sustainability Experiences Linked Often to Leadership and Decision Making in Asikkala Municipality

The study conducted by Asikkala Municipality and empathy analytics company NayaDaya Inc. explored people’s experiences related to ecological, social, and financial aspects of sustainability in Asikkala.

The questions were related to emotions and their root causes related to sustainability in Asikkala Municipality – especially regarding the care of sustainable wellbeing of the people, the environment, and the good governance. Over 60 percent of the respondents indicated only positive experiences, approximately one-fifth of the experiences were negative. Both positive and negative emotions were expressed by seven percent of the respondents.

Contentment, interest, and pride were the most common of the positive emotions whereas disappointment, shame, and anger represented the most often mentioned negative emotions. The reasons were usually linked to leadership and decision making - mostly positively, but also negatively.

The second most often mentioned sustainability aspect was nature having pride as the most often linked emotion to it. Disappointment, however, did not fall far behind. In overall, matters related to environment were mentioned relatively rarely. The respondents highlighted more such aspects as services, living conditions, and wellbeing – mostly in a positive way. More criticism was caused by construction, maintenance, equality, and health services.

”Paying attention to municipal citizen, hearing out their experiences and viewpoints, is an important part of sustainability. As the study showed, it is not all about the environment. Sustainability is also about taking care of people, the finances, and the good governance. The ingredients for sustainable growth are concrete, ordinary matters of which we ought to discuss openly," says Asikkala's Mayor Rinna Ikola-Norrbacka.

The study was conducted in May 2022 as an open query, which attracted approximately 150 respondents. The results were analyzed using empathy-analytics, which is based on science.

Further Information

Rinna Ikola-Norrbacka, Mayor, Asikkala Municipality, tel. +358 44 778 0210, rinna.ikola-norrbacka[at]asikkala.fi

Timo Järvinen, CEO, NayaDaya Inc., tel. +358 40 505 7745, timo.jarvinen[at]nayadaya.com