Aki Koivula
akjeko@utu.fi +358 29 450 2093 +358 40 769 7798 Assistentinkatu 7 Turku Office: 488 ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8453-0863 |
Political trust, Political attitudes, Political Participation, Political Parties, Digital interaction and participation; Social networks; Social Trust; Media consumption; Longitudinal and Experimental Survey methodology
I am a Docent in Economic Sociology at the University of Turku and a Docent in Political Science at Tampere University.
I currently work at the INVEST Research Flagship in several research and leadership roles. I am a Senior Research Fellow in the project Stratification and Equality of Opportunity in the Era of Novel Technologies (PI: Jani Erola) and head the research group responsible for the development and implementation of the INVEST Longitudinal Study on Well-Being (ILSW).
I am also the Principal Investigator of two research projects: Segregated Trust and Sleeping Suburbs: Intra-Urban Inequalities in Political Efficacy and Electoral Participation (SEGREGTRUST) and The Impact of Increasing Socioeconomic Residential Segregation on the Accumulation of Educational Disadvantages and People’s Life Courses (SOSE). These projects examine how socioeconomic segregation shape political engagement, attitudes, educational opportunities, well-being, and life-course outcomes.
In addition, I lead a work package in the Finnish Infrastructure for Register-Based Research consortium, where my work focuses particularly on improving permit and data-access processes for register-based research.
From 2020 to 2024, I led the KRIME research group, which examined the social consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a particular focus on trust, crisis communication, and public responses to the pandemic. Before joining INVEST, I held several teaching and research positions and served for two years as Head of the Economic Sociology Unit at the University of Turku.
My research focuses on citizens' well-being and their engagement with state institutions within the context of societal change. In particular, I have studied the drivers and consequences of political trust, as well as the impact of digital technology on human behaviour and interaction. I have published extensively in leading academic journals, such as European Political Science Review, Sociology, Social Science & Medicine, and New Media & Society.
My current teaching profile centers on PhD supervision and the development of research proposals. I am responsible for INWS0018 Research Proposal Workshop. I supervise nine PhD researchers whose topics range from political attitudes to subjective well-being.
- Vihreän liiton jäsenten muodostama kupla (2016)
- Turun Sanomat
(E1 Popularised article) - Vihreän liiton jäsenten yhteiskunnallinen asema ja verkostot sukupuolinäkökulmasta. (2016) Working Papers in Economic Sociology: Consumers and Citizens in Contemporary Europe Arttu Saarinen, Aki Koivula, Ilkka Koiranen, Jukka Sivonen
(B2 Non-refereed book chapter or chapter in a compilation book) - Vihreiden jäsenet ja kannattajat – tarkastelussa yhteiskunnallinen asema ja suhde muihin puolueisiin (2016)
- Yhteiskuntapolitiikka
(B1 Non-refereed article in a scientific journal) - Vihreiden jäsenet ja kannattajat : tarkastelussa yhteiskunnallinen asema ja suhde muihin puolueisiin (2016)
- Yhteiskuntapolitiikka
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - What is the political position of the Greens in Finland? An analysis of the party members. (2016) Working Papers in Economic Sociology: Consumers and Citizens in Contemporary Europe Arttu Saarinen, Aki Koivula, Ilkka Koiranen, Jukka Sivonen
(B2 Non-refereed book chapter or chapter in a compilation book) - Yksipuolinen vai tasapuolinen media? Puoluejäsenten mielipiteet mediasta (2016)
- Kanava
(D1 Article in a professional journal) - Economic and Sociological Studies in Turbulent Times (2015) Aki Koivula, Janna Oksanen, Pekka Räsänen
(D6 Editorial work for a professional compilation book) - Joustava työaika, parempi työ? – Työajan ja työn laadullisten tekijöiden tarkastelua vuosina 2009-2013. (2015)
- Research papers in economic sociology
(B1 Non-refereed article in a scientific journal) - Puolueiden kannattajat poikkeavat edelleen huomattavasti toisistaan (2015)
- Turun Sanomat
(E1 Popularised article) - Puolueiden kannatus eri väestöryhmissä ja yhteiskunnallinen vaikutusvalta. (2015)
- Tieteessä tapahtuu
(B1 Non-refereed article in a scientific journal)



