This dataset consists of transcribed group interviews with eight-graders who participated in the Art Testers campaign. Interviews were conducted in ten schools in different parts of Finland before and after the students had visited art performances or exhibitions. In total, a little over 100 students participated in the group interviews. The Art Testers Campaign is a cultural initiative directed at young people in Finland. During the 2017-2020 academic years, every eighth-grader, three age groups in total, were offered two pre-arranged visits to performances and exhibitions, such as plays, musicals, concerts and circus performances. One visit took place in their own region and the other in the capital region. The aim of the campaign is to provide young people with an opportunity to experience art, including the kind of art many would have no access to. During data collection for this dataset, the campaign was funded by the Finnish Cultural Foundation and Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland. The study for which the data were collected was conducted by the Finnish Youth Research Network. The first interview, conducted before the eight-graders took part in the campaign, surveyed the students' expectations for the campaign and the role of art and culture in their life. The interviewees also discussed their leisure time and life at school more generally. In the second interview, conducted after the eight-graders had completed their visits, the interviewees' opinions on the visits were surveyed. The interviewees discussed practical arrangements related to the visits as well as the content of the visit. Additionally, the eight-graders' views on the necessity of the campaign were charted. Background information included the date of the interview, interview group id, whether the interview was conducted before or after the campaign, municipality or region, and interviewer. The data were organised into an easy to use HTML version at FSD. The dataset is only available in Finnish.

2021