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Kuopio among the top two cities in a study measuring appeal and impact

10.2.2021

Kuopio did extremely well in the Vetovoima & vaikutus (“Appeal & Impact”) study, which examines the regional appeal of cities: Kuopio came second, right behind Tampere, in a comparison of the top ten cities in Finland by population.

Current residents have a great appreciation for Kuopio

The respondents of the study included both potential future residents as well as current residents of Kuopio. The regional appeal of Kuopio was seen as extremely good, especially among current residents. Based on the responses, our current residents greatly appreciate Kuopio and enjoy living here.

Kuopio residents felt that the greatest assets of their home town are the comfortable, safe environment, the location and the good transport connections. The municipal services of the region were also seen as a strong pull factor, and the community was appreciated – the wellbeing of residents was considered to be good and people living in the region were seen as nice.

Kuopio residents were less willing to move elsewhere than those in many other cities: only 14% of respondents said they were planning to move. This can also be seen in the preliminary data of Statistics Finland, which indicates that in 2020 Kuopio experienced growth only in its in-migration figures, whereas out-migration decreased – unlike in several other big cities.

The assessments given by residents are well in line with the results of previous studies as well: for instance, according to the study entitled Muuttohalukkuus ja kaupunkien/kuntien imago 2020 (“Willingness to move and the image of cities/municipalities 2020”), published by Taloustutkimus in spring 2020, those who live or have lived in Kuopio would happily recommend the city as a place to live.

Potential residents also see Kuopio as appealing and comfortable

The scores given by current residents were slightly higher than those of potential residents in all categories. However, potential residents also gave the regional appeal of Kuopio consistently high scores. Potential residents gave the best scores to the environment and the community of Kuopio. The location of Kuopio was also seen as good.

Kuopio receives strong stakeholder support from its potential residents and support that is nothing short excellent from its current residents: people living elsewhere and the locals both appear to be willing to speak of the city in a positive tone.

Both current and potential residents gave the lowest score to the vitality of the region. However, even this was seen to be at a good level in both target groups – and can therefore also be considered an asset of Kuopio.

Exceptionally good results in all the categories studied

All in all, the regional appeal of Kuopio is much better than the other cities it was compared with.

“The results for Kuopio reflect the systematic work that has been done to improve the appeal of the city. The results across all six categories are exceptionally good”, says Senior Advisor at T-Media Oy Kari Väisänen, who is responsible for the study.

“Kuopio received the best individual scores for its communality and the environment. Kuopio is a good place to live and do business, and the cherry on top is the jovial, easy-going attitude of the locals, which seems to guarantee the comfort and safety of the region as a place of live.”

Developed by the evidence-based reputation advisory T-Media Oy, the Vetovoima & vaikutus model has been used to study 20 cities so far. The model provides a statistically reliable account of the impressions and images of various stakeholders of the city as a living environment. At the same time, it conveys a data-driven picture of how, for instance, the vitality, communality, location, services and living expenses of the city are perceived and experienced. The respondents for Kuopio were composed of potential residents and the city’s current residents. The study was conducted in November–December 2020. A total of 1 060 potential Finnish residents assessed the pull factors of Kuopio, and 202 of these respondents gave a valid assessment.  Of the current residents of the city, 151 provided an assessment of Kuopio.

More information: Kari Väisänen, Senior Advisor at T-Media Oy, kari.vaisanen(at)t-media.fi