Washington Post Democratic Convention Delegate Poll, 1988

This data collection examines attitudes of delegates to the
1988 Democratic National Convention on a variety of social and
political issues. Major areas of investigation include delegates' views
on ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, raising taxes to deal
with the federal budget deficit, using the CIA to undermine hostile
foreign governments, reinstituting the military draft, outlawing
abortion, government provision of a national health care program, and
reducing the military budget. Delegates also were asked where they
would place Michael Dukakis on a scale running from very liberal to
very conservative, whom they favored for the vice presidential
nomination, if they would work enthusiastically for Dukakis if he won
the nomination, if it would be a good or a bad idea to have Jesse
Jackson as the vice presidential nominee, and if they agreed with
several statements proposed for the party platform such as calling
South Africa a terrorist state and putting a freeze on defense
spending. Profiles of the delegates include participation in Democratic
party affairs, elected or appointed public positions currently held,
self-placement on a liberal/conservative scale, prior attendance at a
national convention, candidate voted for on the first ballot at the
1984 national convention, the candidate the delegate would vote for on
the first ballot at the 1988 convention, education, age, religion,
marital status, labor union membership, employment status, race, sex,
income, and region of residence.