Aki Koivula
akjeko@utu.fi +358 29 450 3073 +358 50 436 7381 Assistentinkatu 7 Turku Office: 456 ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8453-0863 |
Political trust, Political attitudes, Digital interaction and participation; Social networks; Social Trust; Media consumption; Political parties; Longitudinal and Experimental Survey methodology
INVESTHub
I am a docent in Economic Sociology and currently work as a Senior Researcher at the INVEST Flagship, where I lead a research group focused on implementing the INVEST Longitudinal Survey on Well-Being. My research focuses on citizens' well-being and engagement with state institutions, and I have published extensively in leading academic journals, including European Political Science Review, Sociology, Social Science & Medicine, and New Media & Society.
From 2020 to 2023, I led the KRIME research group, which examined the social impacts of the pandemic. I am also actively involved in several domestic and international research networks, such as the Emerging Technologies Lab at Tampere University. In addition to my research activities, I currently serve as the Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Finnish Journal of Social Research.
Before joining INVEST, I served several years in different teaching positions, being also as head of the Economic Sociology Unit for two years.
My research bridges sociology, political science, and social psychology to explore the interplay between citizen political engagement and societal change. My research extensively examines the development and consequences of political trust, as well as other forms of trust, while also exploring the transformative impact of technology on human interaction and participation.
My dissertation (2014–2019) examined how political preferences shape citizens' behaviors and attitudes, laying the foundation for my first PI project (2021–2023), which investigated the complex role of political trust in crisis situations. This work challenged individualistic perspectives and refined social theory. More recently, my focus has shifted to welfare state reform, where I develop methodologies to assess both the impact and public acceptability of social investments.
- INWS0014 Social Inequality
- Suomi 2019 – kulutus ja elämäntapa. Tutkimusseloste ja koodikirja (2019) Hanna Saari, Aki Koivula, Jukka Sivonen, Pekka Räsänen
(D4 Published development or research report or study ) - The choice is yours but it is politically tinged. The social correlates of political party preferences in Finland (2019) Koivula Aki
(G5 Article dissertation ) - The Role of Political Activity in the Formation of Online Identity Bubbles (2019)
- Policy and Internet
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Who are the party members, and are they representative of the party voters? (2019) Nordic Party Members: Linkages in Troubled Times Knut Heidar, Gunnar Helgi Kristinnsson, Arttu Saarinen, Aki Koivula, Teo Keipi
(A3 Refereed book chapter or chapter in a compilation book) - Working papers in Economic sociology : Research Report on Finland in the Digital Age Round 2 Panel -survey (2019) Sivonen Jukka, Kuusela Anna, Koivula Aki, Saarinen Arttu, Keipi Teo
(D4 Published development or research report or study ) - Working papers in Economic Sociology : Suomi 2019 – kulutus ja elämäntapa. Tutkimusseloste ja koodikirja (2019) Saari Hanna, Koivula Aki, Sivonen Jukka, Räsänen Pekka
(D4 Published development or research report or study ) - A Middle-Aged Social Internet with a Millennial Exodus? Changes in Identifications with Online Communities Between 2009 and 2017 in Finland (2018)
- Lecture Notes in Computer Science
(A4 Refereed article in a conference publication ) - Asiantuntijaluokan uusi jako perussuomalaisten vaalimenestysten taustalla (2018) Jukka Sivonen, Aki Koivula, Arttu Saarinen
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Assessing the social media landscape: Online relational use-purposes and life satisfaction among Finns (2018)
- First Monday
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Eri puolueiden kannattajien suhtautuminen suomalaiseen tieteeseen ja tutkimukseen. (2018)
- Tiedepolitiikka
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Exploring Selective Exposure and Selective Avoidance Behavior in Social Media (2018) SMSociety '18 Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Social Media and Society Sanna Malinen, Aki Koivula, Teo Keipi, Ilkka Koiranen
(A4 Refereed article in a conference publication ) - Highly educated but occupationally differentiated: An analysis of the members of the Green League in Finland (2018)
- Environmental Politics
(B1 Non-refereed article in a scientific journal) - Kolmijaosta hienojakoisempiin eroihin? Tarkastelussa kuuden suurimman eduskuntapuolueen jäsenistöjen ammattirakenteet (2018)
- Yhteiskuntapolitiikka
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Liike Nyt haastaa puolueosallistumisen muotoja. (2018)
- Turun Sanomat
(E1 Popularised article) - Puolueiden toimittajajäsenten sosiaalisen median käyttö ja näkemykset mediasta (2018)
- Media ja Viestintä
(B1 Non-refereed article in a scientific journal) - Research report on the Finland in the digital age -survey (2018) Jukka Sivonen, Aki Koivula, Arttu Saarinen, Teo Keipi
(D4 Published development or research report or study ) - Suomalaiset sosiaalisessa mediassa: provosointi ja kiistely yleisintä elämäänsä tyytymättömillä miehillä (2018)
- Poliittiset kuplat
(E1 Popularised article) - Trust and Privacy in Messaging (2018)
- IADIS International Journal on Www/Internet
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Trusting in the Security of Private Messages: A Survey-Based Analysis of Finnish Internet Users (2018) Proceedings of the 16th International Conference e-Society 2018 Jukka Vuorinen, Aki Koivula, Ilkka Koiranen
(A4 Refereed article in a conference publication ) - A deeper look at party members – assessing members’ and supporters’ social structure. Research on Finnish Society (2017)
- Research On Finnish Society
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)