Erie County Study, 1940 (ICPSR 7204)

Published: Jan 12, 2006

Principal Investigator(s):
Paul F. Lazarsfeld; Bernard R. Berelson; Hazel Gaudet

https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR07204.v1

Version V1

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Project Description

Summary

This data collection contains information on changes in voting intentions and attitudes among voters in Erie County, Ohio, in 1940. The investigators were most interested in studying the dynamics of the formation, change, and development of public opinion and political attitudes. Special efforts were made to follow the changes in voting intentions and to gather data on the possible intervening factors in the attitudinal change process. Data are provided on respondents' perceptions of the social and ideological differences between the parties, their participation in the campaign, political information gathering and networks, use of the news media, voting intentions, and choice of presidential candidates. Other items provide information on the role of personal relationships and social groups, the political and voting history of the respondents and their family, personality measures, issue opinions, the influence of family and friends, the news media, and political rallies in respondents' political opinion-formation and change. Additional items probe respondents' views of the United States' sale of ammunition to nations at war, Roosevelt and Willkie as presidential candidates, passage of the conscription bill, the news media, and the 1940 election. Demographic items specify age, place of birth, sex, marital status, occupation, education, religion, club and labor union membership, and nationality.

Citation

Lazarsfeld, Paul F., Berelson, Bernard R., and Gaudet, Hazel. Erie County Study, 1940. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2006-01-12. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR07204.v1

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Subject Terms

campaign issues national elections news media peer influence political attitudes political participation public opinion social networks voter attitudes voting behavior

Geographic Coverage

United States Ohio

Scope of Project

Time Period(s)

1940

Date of Collection

1940

Data Collection Notes

The Erie County Study, 1940 (ICPSR 7204) data are written in IBM column-binary format. The data are multiply-punched on eight decks and are stored in EBCDIC. The file should be designated a binary file when used on a non-EBCDIC system.

Methodology

Sample

The data were collected from among four groups of approximately 600 persons each, originally selected by a random stratified sample of Erie County, Ohio. Of the four groups, three were reinterviewed only once. The fourth group of 600 respondents formed the core of the panel sample and were interviewed monthly from May to November 1940.

Universe

Voters in Erie County, Ohio in 1940.

Data Source

personal interviews

Data Type(s)

survey data

Version(s)

Original Release Date

1984-06-19

Version Date

2006-01-12

Version History

2006-01-12 All files were removed from dataset 9 and flagged as study-level files, so that they will accompany all downloads.

Notes

Data in this collection are available only to users at ICPSR member institutions.
The citation of this study may have changed due to the new version control system that has been implemented.

This study is provided by ICPSR. ICPSR provides leadership and training in data access, curation, and methods of analysis for a diverse and expanding social science research community.