Matters of taste? Conceptions of good and bad taste in focus groups with Swedish-speaking Finns

Abstract

The Swedish-speaking minority in Finland does very well in most welfare studies. Swedish-speakers, for example, live longer, have fewer difficulties at school and divorce less than the majority. The aim of this article is to examine whether there are significant internal differences within the minority when it comes to culture, lifestyle and taste. The data was gathered from 20 focus group interviews conducted with the Swedish-speaking minority in different parts of Finland. High, medium and low-status groups react to the discussion on taste very differently: high-status groups are very willing to define good and bad taste; medium-status groups try to make a good impression on the moderator, and low-status groups laugh or stay silent. Even if the interviews focused on culture, taste was discussed mainly in the frame of excluding other social groups by building a very rigid image of what good and acceptable taste is.