Role of Government, 1990, Norwegian part of ISSP

This survey is carried out on the basis of the research collaboration in "The International Social Survey Programme" (ISSP). ISSP is an international organisation that prepares and coordinates annual surveys in its member countries, mainly within the fields of political science and sociology. The topics of the surveys vary, but are repeated at intervals of a few years. In this way, changes in behavioral patterns and attitudes over time as well as differences between countries and cultures, are possible to be detected and measured.

The Norwegian Social Science Data Services (NSD) became a member of ISSP in 1989 and have since been responsible for carrying out the surveys in Norway. In connection to the survey, Norwegian researchers are invited to add supplementary questions to the Norwegian respondents.

In 1990, the objective of the survey was to collect data concerning attitudes to public authorities and government activity, compliance with laws, political rights, police power, justice errors, taxes and redistribution, political participation, government commitment and responsibility, the power of and attitude towards trade unions and businesses and political interest. NSD and ISSP conducted similar surveys in 1996 and 2006.

The Norwegian addition to the survey was prepared in 1990 in collaboration with Per Lægreid from Department of Administration and Organization Theory, University of Bergen, Ola Listhaug, Department of Sociology and Political Science, NTNU, and Rune Sørensen, Norwegian School of Management. Questions in the Norwegian part deal with issues such as tpublic sector reorganisation, governmental income and expenditure, trust in authorities and system efficacy.