Amenity levels in Finnish farmhouses in 1969

Data on the frequency of certain technical appliances and amenities in Finnish farmhouses obtained in connection with the Agricultural Census of 1969 are employed to create an amenity level typology and reach broad conclusions on regional differences in amenity levels. The results, obtained principally by means of factor and grouping analysis combined with carto­graphical techniques, show that the individual amenities, running water, sewers, central heating, refrigerator, telephone, etc. have reached quite different stages of diffusion, and reveal extremely marked differences between the regions of the country resulting from this diffusion pattern, most noticeably between the more highly developed southern and western regions and the more backward areas of the east and north. These features are also reflected in differences in the general standard of amenities both on the regional level and locally in terms of farm size and production structure. With the general increase in affluence, questions of living standards are beginning to occupy an important place in regional policy in Finland. The preference shown for industrialization and urbanization has led to serious under‑development in the more sparsely populated areas, those in which most of the farms are situated, and the levelling out of such dis­crepancies, e.g. in domestic amenities, is one of the major issues at the present moment