According to a survey to assess how Tampere residents feel about the tramway, nearly every respondent considers it important to develop Tampere and most have a positive attitude towards the tramway. A clear majority of respondents (69%) believe that the tramway will improve the vitality of Tampere city centre. People also think that the tramway will have positive impacts on their lives. Half of the respondents (54%) estimated that the tramway will make Tampere a better place to live. A majority of respondents (56%) say that they have a very or somewhat positive attitude towards the tramway. These were the results of a survey commissioned by Tampere Tramway Ltd and implemented by IROResearch Oy. The respondents were 500 Tampere residents between the ages of 15 and 75.

Approximately one-fifth (21%) of survey respondents were neutral about the tramway. Nearly one-quarter of the respondents say that they feel somewhat negative or very negative about the tramway.

– We’re building a tramway system that will expand in the coming years and decades according to the needs of a growing city, and serve people living in Tampere and the surrounding region. The survey revealed that a majority of Tampere residents see the tramway as an important part of well-functioning public transport and are looking forward to a pleasant travel experience made possible by excellent service frequency and tram cars that provide a smooth and steady ride, says CEO Pekka Sirviö from Tampere Tramway Ltd.

Nearly every respondent (97%) considers it important to develop Tampere, and a clear majority (69%) believes that the tramway will improve the vitality of Tampere city centre. Half of the respondents (54%) estimated that the tramway will make Tampere a better place to live. The survey also showed that a clear majority of respondents (77%) believe that the temporary disturbances caused by the construction projects are acceptable.

Attitude towards the tramway, all respondents

•     27% very positive
•     29% somewhat positive
•     21% neutral
•     13% somewhat negative
•     10% very negative

Attitude towards the tramway, gender

•     57% of male respondents have a very (25%) or somewhat (32%) positive attitude towards the tramway.
•     21% of male respondents have a very (10%) or somewhat (11%) negative attitude towards the tramway.
•     55% of female respondents have a very (29%) or somewhat (26%) positive attitude towards the tramway.
•     25% of female respondents have a very (10%) or somewhat (15%) negative attitude towards the tramway.

Attitude towards the tramway, age group

•     15–29-years
  • 4% very negative
  • 12% somewhat negative
  • 22% neutral
  • 37% somewhat positive
  • 25% very positive
•     30–49 years
  • 7% very negative
  • 12% somewhat negative
  • 20% neutral
  • 32% somewhat positive
  • 29% very positive
•     50-75 years
  • 19% very negative
  • 15% somewhat negative
  • 20% neutral
  • 18% somewhat positive
  • 27% very positive

Attitude towards the tramway, households with cars

For respondents living in households with one car, 58% have a very (27%) or somewhat (31%) positive attitude towards the tramway.

• In this group, 21% have a very (10%) or somewhat (11%) negative attitude towards the tramway.
• For respondents living in households with more than one car, 36% report a very (25%) or somewhat (11%) positive attitude towards the tramway.
• In this group, 35% have a very (12%) or somewhat (23%) negative attitude towards the tramway.
• For respondents living in households with NO cars, 62% have a very (28%) or somewhat (34%) positive attitude towards the tramway.
• In this group, 22% have a very (9%) or somewhat (13%) negative attitude towards the tramway.

Impacts of the tramway personally and on the development of Tampere

• 97% of respondents (agree completely 79%, agree somewhat 18%) consider it important to develop Tampere
• 69% believe (34% completely, 35% somewhat) that the tramway will improve the vitality of Tampere city centre.
• 54% agree (26% completely, 28% somewhat) that the tramway will make Tampere a better place to live.
• 59% agree (23% completely, 36% somewhat) that the tramway will be beneficial to local entrepreneurs.
• 16% agree (4% completely, 12% somewhat) that the opinions of entrepreneurs have been sufficiently taken into consideration during tramway construction.
• 32% disagree (13% completely, 19% somewhat) with the statement about entrepreneurs’ opinions and feel that they have not been sufficiently taken into consideration during tramway construction.
• 44% estimate (22% completely, 22% somewhat) that they have decreased the time they spend in the city centre because of the construction work.
• 46% disagree (35% completely, 11% somewhat) with the statement about time spent in the city centre, in other words, the respondents have not decreased the amount of time they spend in downtown Tampere because of the construction work.
• 77% agree (34% completely, 43% somewhat) that temporary disturbances caused by the construction projects are acceptable.

Survey information

• The survey was commissioned by Tampere Tramway Ltd implemented by IROResearch Oy.
• The target group for the survey was Tampere residents aged 15–75.
• Sample size was 500 respondents, who were quota sampled based on place of residence (a maximum of 800 metres from the tramway and other parts of Tampere), gender and age group in order to represent the residents of Tampere. A total of 300 respondents lived near the tramway line and 200 respondents lived elsewhere in Tampere.
• The data was collected by means of computer-aided telephone interviews on 21-29 April 2017.
• The maximum margin of error for the results is +/-4.5% (N=500).

Additional information:
Tampere Tramway Ltd.
CEO
Pekka Sirviö
tel. +358 (0)40 334 5798
pekka.sirvio (at) tampereenraitiotie.fi