Attitude to the Census (Panel: 2nd Wave, June - July 1987)

Attitude of the German population and census critics on the census
after census day, 31 May 1987. Political attitudes.

Topics: political interest; attitude to the census; conversations
about the census in social surroundings and topics discussed; attitude
to the census in circle of friends and acquaintances; perceived
attitude of the population to the census; time of personal opinion
making on the census; changes in attitude to the census; personally
knowing the canvasser; type of questionnaire distribution; conversation
contact with canvasser at house door or in residence; remarks by
canvasser about his attitude to the census and tendency of content of
these comments; questions of canvasser about residents of a neighboring
residence; questionnaire filled out personally or by canvasser; help or
explanation of canvasser when filling it out; help requested or offered
by canvasser; length of stay of canvasser in household; individually
filling out questionnaire or information on entire household from a
single person; duration of filling it out; response or boycott behavior
during the survey; type of questionnaire return; knowledge about census
questions before start of survey; judgement on clarity of survey
questionnaire; census questions causing difficulties or reluctantly
answered; additionally expected questions; attitude to the question
program of the census and personal changes in attitude after knowledge
of questionnaire content; participation in boycott initiatives and
events against the census; intensity of one´s own boycott inclination;
extent to which informed about avoiding fines; receipt of a written
request to fill out the questionnaire; co-ordinated conduct of entire
household regarding the census; boycott inclination in circle of
friends and acquaintances; topics of noticed media reports about the
census and tendency of the content of these articles; attitude to use
of canvassers; assessment and importance of trustworthiness of
canvasser; influence on one´s own attitude to the census from acts of
violence against canvassers that became known; attitude to a supposed
connection of calls for boycott and acceptance of such violent actions;
expectations regarding punishment of boycotters and knowledge of
prosecuted cases of refusal; attitude to punishment of census
boycotters as well as calls for boycott; attitude to the requirement to
provide information in the census; attitude to census boycott as
protest against the government; census participation as democratic
duty; census as government demonstration of power; criticism of the
manner of conducting the census; attitude to government statistics;
personal concerns regarding misuse of personal census data; trust in
observance of data protection; attitude to selected illegal actions and
the census boycott; party preference.

Demography: month of birth; year of birth; sex; religious
denomination; school education; employment; possession of a telephone.

Interviewer rating: presence of third persons during interview and
person desiring this presence; intervention of others in interview and
person causing this intervention; attitude to the census of other
persons present during interview; presence of further persons in other
rooms; reliability and willingness of respondent to cooperate.

Also encoded were: length of interview; date of interview;
identification of interviewer; sex of interviewer; age of interviewer.