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American National Election Studies: 2006 ANES Pilot Study (ICPSR 21440)

Released/updated on: 2008-11-17

Geographic coverage: United States

In the fall of 2006 the American National Election Studies (ANES) carried out a pilot study after the 2006 mid-term elections in the United States. The 2006 ANES Pilot Study was conducted for the purpose of testing new questions and conducting methodological research to inform the design of future ANES studies. As such, it is not considered part of the ANES time series that has been conducted since 1948, and the pilot study only includes time series questions necessary to evaluate the new content. The election studies are designed to present data on Americans' social backgrounds, enduring political predispositions, social and political values, perceptions and evaluations of groups and candidates, opinions on questions of public policy, and participation in political life. This full release dataset contains all 675 interviews, with the survey portion of the interview lasting just over 37 minutes on average. The study had a re-interview rate of 56.25 percent. Respondents were asked questions over a variety of topics. They were queried on need for closure in various situations including unpredictable ones, how fast important decisions were made, and how often they could see that both people can be right when in disagreement. Respondents were asked many questions pertaining to their values. Some questions dealt with optimism and pessimism. Respondents were asked if they felt that were generally optimistic, pessimistic, or neither in regard to the future. They were asked specifically how they felt about the future of the United States. Respondents were also asked about their social networks, about who they talked to in the last six months, and how close they felt to them. Respondents were further queried about how many days in the last six months they talked to these people, their political views, interest in politics, and the amount of time it would take to drive to their homes. Other questions sought respondents' political attitudes including attentiveness to following politics, ambivalence, efficacy, and trust in government. Respondents were asked questions related to the media such as how much time and how many days during a typical week they watched or read news on the Internet, newspaper, radio, or television. Questions that dealt with abortion consisted of giving respondents various scenarios and asking if they favored or opposed it being legal for the women to have an abortion in that circumstance. The issue of justice was also included by asking respondents what percent of people of different backgrounds who are suspected of committing a crime in America are treated fairly. Respondents were also asked to give their opinion on gender in politics, specifically, whether gender played a role in how the respondent would vote for various political offices. Respondents were also queried on whether they would vote for Bill Clinton or George W. Bush and whether they had voted in the elections in November. Respondents were also asked if they approved of the way George W. Bush was handling his job as president, the way he was handling relations with foreign countries, and the way he was dealing with terrorism. Respondents were also asked how upsetting the thought of their own death was, and how likely it was that a majority of all people on Earth would die at once during the next 100 years because of a single event. Demographic variables include age, party affiliation, sex, religious preference, and political party affiliation.

Curated

Detroit Area Study, 1997: Social Change in Religion and Child Rearing (ICPSR 4120)

Released/updated on: 2005-06-02

Geographic coverage: Detroit, United States, Michigan

For this survey, respondents from three counties in the Detroit, Michigan, area were queried about their work, health, marriage and family, finances, political views, religion, and child rearing. With respect to finances, respondent views were elicited on credit card purchases, recording expenditures, and savings and investments. Regarding political views, respondents were questioned about political preferences, presidential values, freedom of speech, nuclear war, and the interest of public officials. Questions also addressed religious beliefs and experiences, including the religiosity of respondents' parents, belief in and relationship with God, the relationship between science and religion, school prayer, divorce, and homosexuality. Additional religious questions -- based on the respondents' religious preference (i.e., Protestant, Catholic, Jew, Other Religion, or No Preference/Agnostic/Atheist Only) -- also were asked, covering topics such as interfaith marriages, religion of friends, and observance of religious holy days. Questions were asked about the views of respondents' religious leaders on issues including drinking, abortion, and test-tube fertilization. Regarding child rearing, views were elicited on issues including religious preference of child(ren) raised, religious training given to child(ren), and frequency of prayer before meals. Background information includes marital status, employment, political orientation, and income.