German Internet Panel, Wave 3 (January 2013)

The German Internet Panel (GIP) is an infrastructure project. The GIP serves to collect data about individual attitudes and preferences which are relevant for political and economic decision-making processes.

Experimental variations in the instruments were used. The questionnaire contains numerous randomizations (order of variables or answers) as well as a cross-questionnaire experiment on the respondent´s intermediate feedback.

Topics: 1. Health care system: satisfaction with the health care system in Germany; demand for a reform of the health care system; opinion on higher expenditures of the state or the statutory health insurance funds for the health care system; willingness to pay higher contributions to improve health care for all; responsibility of the state for basic health care; preference for income-dependent or uniform insurance contributions to the statutory health insurance system; most strongly rejected or preferred measure to finance the health care system; private co-payments: preference for eliminating, reducing, maintaining or increasing the surgery fee, co-payments for dental care, co-payments for medication and hospitalisation; willingness to participate in a family doctor model; preference for free choice of specialist versus referral by family doctor; health insurance status; self-assessment of health status; chronic health problems.

2. Political system of the FRG and political parties: political knowledge: blackout clause; election of the Federal Chancellor; assignment of portrait photos of selected politicians to a party; sympathy scale for the parties CDU/CSU, SPD, Bündnis90/Die Grünen, FDP and Die Linke.

3. Unemployment benefit (ALG II): preference for the current regulation or a reform of the ALG II; expected increase of ALG II recipients who would look for a job after the reform; expected influence on the financial situation of the state if the changed regulation is implemented; employment status; expected influence of a changed ALG II regulation on selected areas of life (personal income, probability of own unemployment as well as personal standard of living); amount of monthly compensation payment to maintain personal standard of living; amount of ALG-II as a function of last income; expected demand for labour by a general wage reduction of 3 per cent; estimated percentage by which demand for labour would change if wages were reduced by 3 per cent.

4. Pension system: preference for higher government spending to secure pensions and old-age pensions; demand for private old-age provision above the basic needs covered by law; demand for a reform of the German pension system; opinion on pensions at 67; physical and mental abilities still meet job requirements at 67; preferred and rejected proposal on pension financing in view of demographic change; opinion on selected proposals on capitalisation of the pension system; guaranteed minimum pension as a civil right; demand for government support for private old-age provision e.g. for the unemployed and low-income earners; main sources of information used on pension and health policy; social justice (scale).

Demography: sex; citizenship; year of birth (categorised); highest school leaving certificate; highest occupational qualification; marital status; household size; employment status; private Internet use; federal state.

Additionally coded was: interview date; questionnaire evaluation; overall assessment of the survey; unique ID, household identification and person identification within the household.