According to a new survey of 13-25-year-olds, good self-esteem means above all that you are comfortable with yourself (69 per cent). Almost as many (66 per cent) consider knowing your strengths and weaknesses as a key factor for good self-esteem. The third most common answer was that good self-esteem means genuinely being who you are (60 per cent). Close to 1,700 young people responded to the survey, which was commissioned by Hartwall Jaffa.
The survey shows that boys feel that they have good self-esteem more often than girls. More than half of the boys replied that they have good self-esteem, while only a third of the girls said that this is the case. One girl in ten stated that she has low self-esteem, while for boys this figure was less than four per cent.
“Young people wish they had better self-esteem especially when they go into new situations, perform and meet new people. They also felt that better self-esteem would help them express their feelings,” says Mikko Innanen, Research Director at Perfecto Oy, which carried out the survey.
Young people say that Tarja Halonen has the highest self-esteem
The young respondents also evaluated which well-known Finns have good self-esteem. About half of them (48 per cent) believe that President Tarja Halonen has good self-esteem. Almost as many (46 per cent) think that Jarppi, a performer on the Duudsonit TV show, has good self-esteem.
Vappu Pimiä ranked third, as slightly over a third of the respondents (37 per cent) said that her self-esteem is good. Kiira Korpi (34 per cent), who is in the same age group as the respondents, came fourth. The respondents were given a list of 18 Finns representing celebrities from different fields. They were allowed to pick a maximum of seven.
Friends are highly significant to the self-esteem of both boys and girls
The survey examined which factors, in the opinion of the respondents, contribute to the self-esteem of boys and girls. Seventy-three per cent of the respondents consider close friends to be the most important building block of girls’ self-esteem. Almost as many (69 per cent) mentioned good looks as having an effect on the self-esteem of girls, while 59 per cent consider popularity among friends significant.
According to the respondents, different factors affect the self-esteem of boys. Close to four-fifths of the respondents (77 per cent) consider that popularity among friends is the most important factor contributing to the self-esteem of boys. Over half state that taking care of your fitness is significant (54.2 per cent). Almost as many view that success in their pursuits has a bearing on self-esteem (53.6 per cent).
“The role played by the media came to light in their answers to open-ended questions. Girls in particular feel that the media sets pressures on their appearance. Success at school or pursuits, for instance, has a positive effect on self-esteem. Different kinds of adversities in life were mentioned as a negative factor,” says Mikko Innanen.
For young people, good self-esteem means above all being well prepared for adulthood: confidence in yourself and your own opportunities, the courage to make your own choices and being able to cope with adversity.
Love is the most genuine, YouTube the most phoney
The respondents were asked to evaluate what a genuine person is like. Three out of four chose the option “has confidence in himself/herself”. Not caring what others think about you ranked as the second most important characteristic (69 per cent). Close to 60 per cent of the respondents also stated that a genuine person is honest. The young people were asked to select the three most important characteristics from a list of eight.
The things that almost all the youthful respondents considered to be genuine were: falling in love (94.1 per cent), animals (93.6 per cent), their parents (93.4 per cent), going to school (93.3 per cent), rye bread (92.1 per cent) and Finnishness (91.2 per cent). Milk (89.3 per cent), adulthood (88.7 per cent) and Hartwall Jaffa (88.2 per cent) were considered to be almost as genuine. Young people considered things like cosmetic surgery, reality TV and YouTube to be phoney. The list included a total of 22 alternatives.
“For decades, Hartwall Jaffa has been thought of as real and genuine. Jaffa has always believed in itself. That’s why we want to encourage young people to believe in their dreams. We established the Sauma (Opportunity) programme to support this message. In this programme, we help 15-25-year-olds to get one step closer to achieving their dreams. Our concept is to provide them with the kind of support that not even money can buy. For example, we can get them a top coach or a dream job for the summer,” says Marleena Jalassola, Hartwall Jaffa Brand Manager and the chair of the Sauma jury.
“It’s wonderful that the survey showed that Finnish youth consider Hartwall Jaffa to be genuine. We hope that our message encourages young people to believe in themselves even more - and to be genuine,” adds Jalassola.
For additional information on the Sauma programme:
Oy Hartwall Ab, Brand Manager Marleena Jalassola, tel. +358 20 717 2036 or marleena.jalassola@hartwall.fi and www.jaffa.fi
For more information on the survey:
Perfecto Oy, Research Director Mikko Innanen, tel. +358 40 5872 923 or mikko.innanen@perfecto.fi
The survey was carried out in April 2009 and the questions concerned the views of youth and young adults on self-esteem and genuineness. Perfecto Oy designed the survey and analysed the results. The target group comprised 13-25-year-old Finns. Answers were collected through the Hartwall Jaffa Internet site (www.jaffa.fi). The total number of respondents was 1 687.
Hartwall Jaffa’s Sauma (Opportunity) programme. Hartwall Jaffa encourages young people to be genuine and believe in their dreams. The Sauma programme helps 15-25-year-old young people take one step closer to reaching their dreams, such as by providing mentoring by an expert, coaching or a trainee position at a dream job. The concept is to provide young people with the kind of support that not even money can buy - giving them a new kind of opportunity to reach their dreams.
Hartwall Jaffa – the “Authentic and Original” – is a Finnish soft drink that was launched back in 1949. It is now the best-loved beverage brand in Finland and the third best-selling soft drink. Only international cola drinks are more popular.
Hartwall Jaffa is known above all for its fruity orange soft drink, but these days Jaffa boasts a diverse range of products. There are a total of nine fruity and delicious Jaffa soft drinks.