Australian Values Study Survey, 1983: Self-completion Questionnaire

The Australian Values Study was undertaken as part of a major international survey to compare fundamental values in different countries throughout the world. It focuses on such areas as attitudes towards work, life satisfaction, family, political, moral, religious and spiritual values, and a wide range of social issues. The study was conducted in two parts. The first stage was a personal interview questionnaire, administered by an interviewer. The data for this stage has been previously documented as 'Australian Values Study Survey, 1983' (SSDA Study No. 375). The second stage was a questionnaire left by the interviewer, to be completed by the respondent and mailed back. Topics covered in the mail-back questionnaire include newspaper and magazine readership; television watching and radio listening; parental attitudes; family costs; division of labour in the household; personal experiences in the previous year; opinions on current social issues such as invitro fertilisation, nuclear arms, terrorism, conditions for aborigines in Australia; views on economic development and growth in Australia, government intervention in business, jobs and trade unions; perceptions of individual companies, changes in the respondent's own attitudes and opinions; details of food and beverages usually consumed, types of cigarettes and cigars smoked; personal finance, investment and credit card usage; insurance and superannuation; and makes and models of automobiles purchased or preferred. Background variables include age, sex, birthplace, nationality, languages, level of education, employment status, approximate income, occupation, details of main income earner, household pets, home ownership, type of dwelling and size of town.