Welfare Surveys 1978 to 1993 (Cumulated Data Set)

Actual living conditions and subjectively perceived quality of life of
the population. Cumulation of the welfare surveys 1978 to 1993.

Topics: 1. Assessment of future prospects: satisfaction with standard
of living; pessimistic or optimistic expectations regarding development
of selected areas of life; optimistic future expectation.

2. Political attitudes and political participation: personal political
influence; interest in politics; satisfaction with possibilities of
political activity; conservative or progressive attitude to life;
postmaterialism; party preference.

3. Attitudes to social inequality and the welfare state: perceived
lines of conflict between social groups; satisfaction with democracy,
public safety, environmental protection and the social net; general
feeling of happiness; contentment with life in comparison over time
with past and future; frequency of personal unemployment and judgement
on financial security in case of unemployment.

4. Family and education: understanding with partner and satisfaction
with partnership (interviewer rating: presence of partner while
answering this question); satisfaction with education; desire for other
education; satisfaction with status as housewife and reasons for work
as housewife; judgement on the chances of new contacts; disturbance of
well-being from differences of opinion in one´s family or quarrel with
neighbors, friends or colleagues; importance of selected areas of life
for well-being and general contentment with life; importance of
occupation, leisure time and family; work asking too much.

5. Attitude to abortion, the child benefit, aid to those wanting to
die and health in general: attitude to the child benefit and the legal
regulation of abortion; attitude to aid to those wanting to die; health
satisfaction (scale); visits to the doctor in recent time; life changes
and occupation changes due to illness or disability; use of medication;
characterization of psychological and physical situation (scale).

6. Importance classification of areas of life and occupational
characteristics: satisfaction with housing (scale); judgement on
residence quality and satisfaction with residential area (scale);
contentment with life (scale); satisfaction with housekeeping;
satisfaction with leisure time; extent of leisure time; satisfaction
with personal career; satisfaction with income in comparison over time
and comparison with friends as well as average income; assessment of
personal job market chances; most important demands of an ideal job and
comparison of these criteria with current situation at work;
satisfaction with division of work in household; percent division of
work in household among respondent, spouse, children and further
members of household; perceived burden of respondent from occupation
and household as well as assumed burden of spouse; further paid side
jobs or further primary occupation; unpaid primary occupation and
unpaid side jobs as well as paid casual work and help with neighbors,
friends and relatives; paid agricultural activity and honorary
activities; experiencing a particularly happy or unfortunate event in
life; division and carrying out activities in household as well as
repair jobs, renovation work, improvement work by members of household,
relatives, neighbors or businesses; assistance from relatives, friends
and neighbors.

7. Religiousness and devotion: frequency of church attendance and
satisfaction with church.

8. Perceived environmental pollution: perceived environmental
pollution from noise, air pollution, shortage of green areas and
destruction of countryside; concern about water pollution, harm to the
ocean, air pollution, improper elimination of chemical industry wastes
and the elimination of radioactive waste; judgement on the purity of
tap water.$9. Anomia.

10. Demographic information on person of respondent: questions on the
area nationality, length of stay, residence, place of residence,
further information on composition of household and children of
respondent, self-assessment of social class, short time work, further
education, reasons for not being employed, expected improvement in
income situation; perceived possibilities to find work; desire for
employment; duration of entire employment and after discontinuation of
employment; fear of unemployment and change of position; occupational
prestige scale; social origins; number of rooms; toilet and bath within
residence; central heating; residential status; amount of rent; type of
building; living in high-rise; type of city; size of municipality;
satisfaction with babies in household; someone in need of nursing care
in household; children in home or care facility; other relatives in
home or care facility; friends or friendships; frequency of meeting
with friends.$11. Data on friends and acquaintances.

12. Memberships in organizations and clubs: union membership; party
membership; membership in citizen initiatives, church clubs, sport
clubs as well as choral societies; involvement in the club through
request to speak.

13. Information on course of interview: place of interview; presence
of other persons during interview and their degree of relationship to
respondent; intervention of others in interview; interruption of
interview; willingness to cooperate and credibility of respondent;
start of interview; end of interview.