Politbarometer West 1995 (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>Cumulated data set of the Politbarometers for 1995. Judgement on
parties and politicians before and after the Federal Parliament
election. Attitude to current political questions. Topics: The
following topics were repeated identically at every time of survey:
most important political problems in the Federal Republic; party
preference (Sunday question, rank order procedure); party inclination
and party identification; behavior at the polls in the last Federal
Parliament election; sympathy scale for the parties and selected
politicians; self-assessment on a left-right continuum; jeopardy to
one´s own job; jeopardy to the job of close persons; expected
development of the economic situation in Germany; union membership;
religiousness; survey date. The following questions were posed in at
least one or more survey months: coalition preference; satisfaction
with the achievements of the Federal Government and the opposition;
most important politicians in Germany; position of the FDP in the
government coalition; judgement on FDP chairman Gerhard; FDP as
extraneous party; assessment of the renewal of the PDS; attitude to a
government participation of the PDS; attitude to a red-green minority
government in Berlin with toleration by the PDS; judgement on the
red-green coalition in North Rhine-Westphalia and assessment of further
development; assessment of the reputation of party chairmen Scharping
and Kohl in their parties; stronger left-orientation of the SPD under
chairman Lafontaine; judgement on Scharping as candidate for federal
chancellor in the next Federal Parliament election; alternative
candidate for chancellor for the SPD; preference for federal
chancellor; Scharping or Schroeder as better candidates against Federal
Chancellor Kohl; attitude to a renewed candidacy of Kohl in the next
Federal Parliament election; judgement on the status of unification and
the condition of society; comparison of condition of society in Germany
with that of Western European neighbors; judgement on current and
future economic situation of the country as well as of respondent;
issue competence of the current Federal Government or an SPD-led
Federal Government regarding improvement in economic situation in East
and West; satisfaction with democracy; the right people in leading
positions; interest in politics; justified dissatisfaction of the East
Germans with their current living conditions; adequate effort of the
Federal Government to achieve equivalent living conditions in East and
West; expected period for achieving equal conditions in East and West;
attitude to a reduction in subsidies due to waste of public funds in
rebuilding the East; attitude to union of Brandenburg and Berlin into
one common state; attitude to an increased acceptance of international
political responsibility by united Germany; desire for German pressure
on Russia to end the war in Chechnya; problems of the former Soviet
Union as danger to Germany; desire for an active role for Michael
Gorbachev in Russian politics; Gorbachev or Yelzin as preferred Russian
president; attitude to continuation of support for Boris Yeltsin by the
West; attitude to an eastern extension of the NATO; capitulation of the
German Reich on 8 May 1945 as defeat or liberation; significance of
this day; significance of a good relationship with German neighboring
countries; National Socialism as a current danger in Germany; attitude
to an increased intervention of the UN in Bosnia; attitude to German
participation in the UN protective troops in Bosnia; general judgement
on the military action of UN and NATO in Bosnia; attitude to
participation of German fighter planes; attitude to a reduction in
troop level by the Federal German Armed Forces and to the below-ground
nuclear tests by France in the South Pacific; SPD as better government
alternative; judgement on the solidarity tax to finance German unity;
extent of individual impact by the topic Auschwitz; visit to Eastern
Germany since the border opening or in the last year; vacation
destination in the last year; attitude to speed limits given high ozone
values; preferred treatment of cars with catalytic converter during
ozone alarm; closing the centers of town for car traffic during ozone
alarm; attitude to a reduction in working hours to a four-day-week with
corresponding wage reduction; job preservation through sacrifice in
wages; attitude to Saturday work in industry; judgement on the salary
demands of the IG-Metall {metal workers´ union} in the wage
negotiations or to wage demands in the amount of the rate of inflation;
attitude to a strike to achieve the demands of the IG-Metall; attitude
to introduction of the 35-hour work week, as was scheduled in the wage
agreement of the metal industry; attitude to the recommendation of
IG-Metall chairman Zwickel for wage increases only at the level of the
rate of inflation to create additional jobs; perceived threat of crime;
advantageousness of membership of the country in the European Union;
attitude to a common European currency; comparison of the stability of
the DM {German Mark} with the common European currency; necessity of a
common currency; most able Federal party regarding currency stability;
attitude to government support of German hard coal after elimination of
the coal subsidy tax; attitude to an additional tax instead of the coal
subsidy tax; concern for harm to health from BSE; general attitude to
foreigners in Germany; attitude to immediate deportation of Kurds
rejected as applicants for political asylum or who have committed a
criminal offence in Germany; attitude to German pressure on Turkey to
end the war Kurdistan; attitude to delivery of weapons by Germany to
the NATO partner Turkey; expected outcome of the UN climate conference
in Berlin; attitude to reduction in welfare; assumptions about the
extent of abuse of welfare; attitude to construction of further nuclear
power plants in Germany; attitude to a shut-down of existing nuclear
power plants; attitude to construction of safe nuclear power plants;
attitude to the blockade of transport of fuel elements in the so-called
Castor containers; judgement on the action of government offices in the
so-called plutonium scandal in Bavaria; conclusion of dealing with the
GDR past; judgement on the decision for the move of the Federal
Government to Berlin; attitude to abortion; attitude to covering the
Berlin Reichstag by Christo; knowledge about financing this art event;
attitude to the idea of communism; judgement on the amount of
compensation for members of parliament as well as coupling this income
with the payment of Federal Judges; attitude to the ammendment to the
constitution due to the parliamentary allowance; attitude to an
extension of business hours; attitude to the so-called large bugging
operation; perceived differences between Eastern and Western as well as
between Northern and Southern Germany; retrospect on the current year
and prospect for the coming year.