Politbarometer 1984 (Cumulated Data Set)

The Politbarometer has been conducted since 1977 on an almost monthly basis by the Forschungsgruppe Wahlen on behalf of the Second German Television (ZDF). Since 1990, this database has also been available for the new German states. The survey focuses on the opinions and attitudes of the voting-age population in the Federal Republic on current political issues, parties, politicians, and voting behavior. From 1990 to 1995 and from 1999 onward, the Politbarometer surveys were conducted separately both in the newly formed eastern and in the western German states (Politbarometer East and Politbarometer West). The separate monthly surveys of a year are integrated into a cumulative data set that includes all surveys of a year and all variables of the respective year. Starting in 2003, the Politbarometer short surveys, collected with varying frequency throughout the year, are integrated into the annual cumulation.<br>Party preference (Sunday question and rank order procedure);
party inclination and party identification; behavior at the polls in
the last Federal Parliament election; sympathy scale for the parties,
coalition, opposition and selected federal politicians; union
membership; religiousness; description of residential surroundings;
city size.

Beyond this description part, identical for all survey months of this
year, the following additional questions were posed in at least one
survey month: satisfaction with democracy; the right people in leading
positions; judgement on current and future economic situation of the
country as well as the individual situation; preference for reduction
in government debt or tax reduction; attitude to the 35-hour week
without reduction in pay; willingness to strike for the 35-hour week;
assumed reduction in unemployment through shortening working life or
the 35-hour week; attitude to shortening working life to 58 years with
a reduced pension; perceived changes since the change of government and
the turning point 1982; territory associated with the word ´Germany´;
possibility of reunification of Germany; attitude to a reunification;
assessment of relations with the GDR since the change of government;
judgement on the visit by Honecker, the billion credit and granting
relief for the people; family relations in the GDR; interest in the
Flick affair; attitude to publications from the investigation files of
the prosecuting attorney; suspicion of a campaign against the
government in the Flick affair; exaggerated interest of the media in
the party contribution affair and Flick; judgement on the development
of unemployment, government debts, environmental protection, retirement
insurance, foreign relations, securing of peace since the change of
government and issue relevance of these areas; issue ability of the
government coalition or SPD opposition; attitude to the exclusive
election of women to the board of the Greens; attitude to women in the
Federal German Armed Forces; judgement on the security of peace.

Interest in the European Election and adequate extent to which
informed; most important source of information about the EC; intent to
participate in the European Election and party preference; election
participation and behavior at the polls in the European Election 1979;
preference for a strong merger or loose association of EC countries;
desired extent of power of the European Parliament; judgement on EC
membership of the country; classification of the importance of the
parliaments at municipal level, state level, federal level and European
level; satisfaction with the work of the European Parliament (scale);
judgement on the unification process since the first European election;
preference for European or nation-state solutions of problems such as
unemployment, environmental protection, agriculture and foreign aid;
attitude to dissolution of the EC.

Satisfaction with television stations; weekly watching television;
desire for further television stations; desired reception of further
Third Programs {local TV} from other regions; preferred broadcasts for
new television stations; maximum affordable monthly costs for a cable
connection; attitude to advertising interruptions after 8 PM; attitude
to television programs financed by advertising; harm to society from
increased television watching.

Celebration of carneval; attending public carneval events or private
celebration; possession of a telephone; possession of video equipment;
perceived jeopardy to drinking water particularly from garbage disposal
sites; possession of a vehicle in household and frequency of car
driving; readiness to purchase a low-pollution vehicle thus more
expensive; incentive of government financial aid on those not
interested in purchase of low-pollution vehicles; attitude to a legal
requirement of low-pollution vehicles; earliest point in time for such
a legal regulation; attitude to Germany´s doing it alone or preference
for European coordination in introducing low-pollution cars;
development of forest death; possible causes of forest death;
willingness to accept personal restrictions to reduce air pollution;
attitude to a speed limit on freeways and highways; speed limit only
for motor vehicles without catalytic converter; reduction of forest
death through speed limit or through the introduction of catalytic
converters; preference for Reagan or Mondale in the American
presidential election; expected European soccer champion; interest in
sports broadcasts; frequency of attendance of soccer games; attitude to
national soccer league games on Friday evening; intent to purchase a
Christmas tree; doing without a Christmas tree because of forest death;
retrospect on the last year and prospect for the coming year;
determination of first letter of family name of respondent.