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This study of 797 adults in the Detroit metropolitan area provides information on their attitudes toward work and their motivations for working, as well as their orientation toward many social and political issues. The study was a combination of two separate studies: ORIENTATION ON MORAL ISSUES IN A METROPOLIS by Robert Angell, and THE MEANING OF WORK by Robert Kahn and Robert Weiss. Respondents were asked about the importance of work in their life, the things in their job that made them feel important, the things they wanted from their job that it did not provide, the other areas of their life that made them feel useful, and the people in their lives that influenced their choice of occupation. A number of questions that focused on women working outside the home probed respondents' feelings about how a husband was affected by a working wife, and if there were kinds of jobs that women should not have. Other questions probed respondents' views about what the United States should do in the event of an attack by the Soviet Union on a western European country, a parent not allowing a child to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in school, the proposed racial integration of schools, appointment or election of government officials, effecting changes in the United States Constitution, trial by a jury or a judge, ways to effect world peace, the most important problem for the United States in the future, and a Communist revolution in a Latin American country. Additional items explored respondents' opinion of the Detroit newspapers and the Detroit newspaper strike, and their satisfaction with their neighborhood. Respondents were also asked about their political party preference, as well as their use and ownership of telephones. Demographic variables specify age, sex, race, education, place of birth, marital status, number of children, nationality, religious preferences, occupation, family income, length of residence in the Detroit area, home ownership, length of time at present residence, and class identification.

The World Values Surveys and European Values Surveys series was designed to enable a crossnational, crosscultural comparison of values and norms on a wide variety of topics and to monitor changes in values and attitudes across the globe. This data collection contains the survey data from the four waves of the World Values Surveys and European Values Surveys, carried out in 1981-1984, 1990-1993, 1995-1997, and 1999-2004. These survey responses have now been integrated into one dataset, to facilitate time series analysis.

The surveys provide data from representative national samples of the publics of approximately 81 societies (covering 60 countries) that contain 85 percent of the world's population and cover a full range of variation, from societies with per capita incomes below 300 dollars per year, to societies with per capita incomes of more than 35,000 dollars per year, from long-established democracies to authoritarian states, and from societies with market economies to societies that are in the process of emerging from state-run economies. The surveys cover societies that were historically shaped by a wide variety of religious and cultural traditions, from Christian to Islamic to Confucian to Hindu. The societies covered range from those whose culture emphasizes social conformity and group obligations to societies in which the main emphasis is on human emancipation and self-expression.

Broad topics covered in the integrated file include perception of life, family, work, traditional values, personal finances, religion and morale, the economy, politics and society, the environment, allocation of resources, contemporary social issues, national identity, and technology and its impact on society.

Specifically, respondents were asked whether the following acts were ever justifiable: suicide, cheating on taxes, lying, euthanasia, divorce, and abortion. Respondents were also asked about the groups and associations they belonged to, which ones they worked for voluntarily, the ethnic group(s) they would not want as neighbors, their general state of health, and whether they felt they had free choice and control over their lives. A wide range of items was included on the meaning and purpose of life, such as respondents' views on the value of scientific advances, the demarcation of good and evil, and religious behavior and beliefs. Respondents were also queried about their attitudes toward morality, politics, sexual freedom, marriage, single parenting, child-rearing, and the importance of work, family, politics, and religion in their lives. Questions relating to work included what financial and social benefits were most important to them in a job, how much pride they took in their work, if they were happy with their current position, and their views on owner/state/employee management of business. Questions pertaining to the stability of the world economy and whether respondents were happy with their financial situation were also asked. Respondents' opinions on various forms of political action, the most important aims for their countries, confidence in various civil and governmental institutions, and whether they would fight in a war for their country were also elicited.

Demographic information includes family income, number of people residing in the home, size of locality, region of residence, occupation of the head of household, and the respondent's age, sex, occupation, education, religion, religiosity, political party and union membership, and left-right political self-placement.