ALLBUS/GGSS 1998 (Allgemeine Bevölkerungsumfrage der Sozialwissenschaften/German General Social Survey 1998)

ALLBUS (GGSS - the German General Social Survey) is a biennial trend survey based on random samples of the German population. Established in 1980, its mission is to monitor attitudes, behavior, and social change in Germany. Each ALLBUS cross-sectional survey consists of one or two main question modules covering changing topics, a range of supplementary questions and a core module providing detailed demographic information. Additionally, data on the interview and the interviewers are provided as well. Key topics generally follow a 10-year replication cycle, many individual indicators and item batteries are replicated at shorter intervals.

Since the mid-1980ies ALLBUS also regularly hosts one or two modules of the ISSP (International Social Survey Programme).

The focus topic of ALLBUS/GGSS 1998 is political participation and attitudes towards the political system. Apart from questions directly addressing political participation the module comprises questions on theoretically relevant influencing factors such as social dissatisfaction and participation norms. Other topics include use of media, lifestyles, and attitudes towards the process of German unification. As an exception to the rule, no ISSP modules were fielded with ALLBUS/GGSS 1998.<br>Social monitoring of trends in attitudes, behavior, and societal change
in the Federal Republic of Germany.
The main topics in 1998 are:
1.) Economic situation and anticipation of occupational risks
2.) Importance of life aspects
3.) Free time activities, personal manner, and lifestyle
4.) Use and assessment of media
5.) Political participation
6.) Attitudes towards politics and social inequality
7.) Attitudes relating to the process of German re-unification
8.) ALLBUS-Demography
9.) Data on the interview (paradata)
10.) Added value

Topics: 1.) Economic situation and anticipation of occupational risks:
assessments of the present and future economic situation in Germany;
assessment of present and future personal economic situation; fear of
unemployment or loss of business.

2.) Importance of life aspects: family and children, occupation and
work, free time and recreation, friends and acquaintances, kinship,
religion and church, politics and public life, neighborhood.

3.) Free time activities, personal manner, and lifestyle: reading
books; reading magazines; listening to records, CD´s, cassettes;
watching videos; using the computer; surfing the internet; private
further education; relaxing, being lazy; walking or hiking; yoga,
meditation; going to restaurants; visiting friends; visiting relatives;
playing games; taking short trips; participating in politics; voluntary
activities or honorary offices; attending church or religious events;
indulging in art and music; do it yourself; active sport; attending
sports events; going to pop concerts, jazz or dance events; classic
culture (i.e. opera, classical concerts, theater, exhibitions);
preference for folk music (i.e. Volksmusik), German pop songs or rock
music, classical music, jazz.

4.) Use and assessment of media: type of television reception device
(satellite dish, cable, television aerial), amount of time spent using
the media (frequency of radio and television use over the week, amount
of time per day spent watching TV or listening to the radio in
minutes). Taste in television programs: TV shows or quiz programs,
sports, movies, news broadcasts, political magazines, art and culture
programs, traditional German ´heimat´-films, detective films, action
films, sitcom or entertainment series; frequency of reading the daily
newspaper per week; sections of interest (i.e. politics, business,
culture, sport, local, international, advertisements or classified
advertisements). Number of periodicals read regularly; titles of
regularly-read periodicals; assessment of credibility of each type of
media; preferred sources of information on political events (i.e.
newspaper, television or conversations).

5.) Political participation: articulation of one´s own opinion,
voting, public discussion, citizens´ action groups, party work, support
of political candidates, demonstrations, house squatting, personal
violence, intimidation of opponents, abstinence from voting or casting
a protest vote for another party, collecting signatures, blocking
traffic (each of these activities were repeatedly raised with respect
to the following (1) whether respondent had a role in an activity
concerning an important issue, (2) whether respondent had been a
participant in earlier activities, (3) whether respondent had been
recently active (since the beginning of 1996), (4) whether the action
was seen as politically effective (slightly shortened list)). Voting
behavior in the past: respondent´s eligibility to vote and
participation in German state elections (Landtagswahl); eligibility to
vote and participation in the European elections; eligibility to vote,
participation and voting behavior in the past Federal Parliament
election; recall of past vote in federal elections. Perception of
possible influence on politics (political efficacy, political
alienation); gap between politicians and citizens; self-assuredness in
relation to political group work; perceived influence on governmental
policies; too much complexity in politics; the politicians´ closeness
to constituents. Norms for political participation: discontent as
motivation for engagement; belief in effectiveness as motivation for
engagement; let the elected representatives handle politics;
participation in the vote as a civic duty; moral acceptability of
violence; plebiscite as a necessary component of democracy;
establishing democracy in all social areas. Political participation in
peer group; criticism of political situation; political activity.

6.) Attitudes towards politics and social inequality: political
support (satisfaction with democracy in Germany); satisfaction with the
performance of the federal government; national pride; satisfaction
with life in the Federal Republic of Germany. Statements on the
legitimacy of social inequality: Inequality of income as incentive to
achieve; acceptability of differences in status; justness of social
differences. Political interest; self-placement on a left-right
continuum; self-assessment of social class; postmaterialism(importance
of law and order, fighting rising prices, free expression of opinions,
and influence on governmental decisions); concerns about social issues
in Germany (environmental protection, the number of immigrants, the
costs of German unification, the development of crime figures,
unemployment); perceived representation of personal interests through
organizations: trade unions, Catholic and Protestant churches,
ecological or environmental organizations, CDU, CSU, SPD, FDP, The
Greens (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen), Republikaner, PDS.

7.) Attitudes relating to the process of German re-unification: demand
for increased willingness to make sacrifices in the West and for more
patience in the East; more advantages for East or West through German
unification; the future in the East depends on the willingness of
eastern Germans to make an effort; strangeness of citizens in the other
part of Germany; pressures to work harder in the East; attitudes
towards the Stasi-past of individuals; evaluation of socialism as an
idea.

8.) ALLBUS-Demography: Details about the respondent: gender; month and
year of birth, age; geographical origin and citizenship; place of
residence (federal state, administrative region, size of municipality,
BIK-type of municipality) and length of residence; religious
denomination, frequency of church attendance; voting intention
(Sonntagsfrage); general education, vocational training; employment
status; details about current occupation, affiliation to public
service, supervisory functions, working hours per week; length of
unemployment; date of termination of full- or part-time employment;
details about former occupation; respondent´s income; marital status.
Details about respondent´s current spouse: general education,
vocational training; employment status; details about current
occupation. Details about respondent´s steady extra-marital partner:
common household; month and year of birth, age; general education,
vocational training; employment status; details about current
occupation. Details about respondent´s parents: general education of
father and mother; father´s occupation. Composition of household: size
of household; number of persons older than 17 in household (reduced
size of household); household income; type of dwelling; telephone,
listing in telephone directory. Details about household members:
relation to respondent; gender; month and year of birth, age; marital
status. Respondent´s current memberships (Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund
(DGB, blue-collar union), Deutsche Angestelltengewerkschaft (DAG,
white-collar union), Christlicher Gewerkschaftsbund (CGB, Christian
union), Union Leitender Angestellter (ULA, association of managers),
Deutscher Beamtenbund (DBB, public service union), farmer´s
association, trade association, Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie
(BDI, association of German industry), association of a liberal
profession, other occupational association); respondent´s current and
former memberships (choral society, sports club, leisure activity club,
local history or community club, other social association, association
of German expellees or refugees, charitable association,
religious/church organization, youth or student organization, political
party, citizens´ action group, environmentalist or alternative
political group, other club or association).

9.) Data on the interview (paradata): beginning and end of interview; date of
interview; length of interview; presence of other people during the
interview (spouse, partner, children, relatives, other persons);
interference of other people in the interview; willingness of
respondent to cooperate; reliability of respondent´s statements. Serial
number of sample net, sample point and within sample point; number of
interview for interviewer; number of interview for sample point;
reachability of respondent; willingness of respondent to cooperate.
&Data on the interviewer: gender, age, general education,
identification of interviewer.

10.) Added value: Inglehart-index; family typology, classification
of private households (according to Porst and Funk); International
Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO 1968, 1988); occupational
prestige (according to Treiman); magnitude prestige (according to
Wegener); occupational meta-classification (according to Terwey); class
position (according to Goldthorpe); weights.