German Election Study, 1997 (Politbarometer) (ICPSR 34816)

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The Politbarometer series of German Election Studies has been administered monthly since 1977. Surveys were conducted only in West Germany until 1990, when East German Politbarometers were added to the series. The surveys are intended to assess the attitudes and opinions of eligible German voters on current events and problems, as well as on parties and politicians. In 1996, the surveys were united and were no longer designated as East or West. This data collection consists of a cumulative file of the monthly Politbarometer surveys for 1997. In these surveys, certain political questions were asked each month, while other topical questions were asked irregularly or only once. The following list of topics include: (1) Topics consistently covered in monthly Politbarometer administrations include: voting intention and party preference - voting behavior in the last federal parliamentary elections - sympathy scale for the parties - satisfaction with democracy, the activities of the federal government, and opposition parties - interest of the respondent in politics and a self-assessed position on a left-right political continuum - assessment of the economic situation in the Federal Republic (and anticipated further development) and the respondent's own economic situation (and expected development) - the competence of the government and opposition parties in ensuring the security of jobs and pensions, and seeing to improvements in the economy and environmental protection - assessments of the reputations of party leaders - comparison of the social conditions of Germany with those of neighboring West European countries - attitude toward an increased acceptance of world political power through a united Germany - perceived military threats - assessment of the security of peace in Europe - attitude toward nuclear power - attitude toward German reunification - opinion on the right of asylum in Germany - general attitude toward foreigners - evaluation of different beliefs in relation to abortion - perceived advantages arising from membership in the European Union - assessment of the most important problem confronting the German Federal Republic. (2) Topics covered in this data collection that may be unique to this survey year include: opinions of various political parties, including the Freie Demokratische Partei or Liberal Democratic Party (FDP), the Partei des Demokratischen Sozialismus or Democratic Socialist Party (PDS), the Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands or Social Democratic Party (SPD), and the Green Party, currency stabilization and the new Euro - the financing of the present public health system - and labor issues such as work week length and solving the unemployment problem - the pension system and its continued financial viability - taxation policy and preferences for tax reform - crime - military intervention of the European Union in Albania - attitudes toward the National Socialist past - soccer broadcasts on television - the strikes and protests of students at German universities. Demographic information on respondents includes sex, age, marital status, household size and composition, education, occupation and employment status, religious preference, and trade union membership.

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