Barometer of the Public Opinion Research Center, September - October 1989

<b><i>The purpose of the study</i></b>: assess the opinion of the Lithuanian population on the issues relevant to the society during the rapid political, social, and economic transformation in the country.
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<b><i>Major investigated questions</i></b>: imagining that Lithuania became economically independent, respondents were asked to guess how the well-being of the Lithuanian people would change over the next decade. It was asked whether they were interested in politics and whether the respondents took part in any rallies, commemorations, public political actions, deliberations of orders, laws, and other documents during the summer. Next, it was wanted to find out from which information sources the surveyed Lithuanians first find out about the most important events in Lithuania. It was asked to answer for which party or movement a representative would vote if various political parties and movements nominated their candidates for the Supreme Council of the Lithuanian SSR in the next elections. It was asked what kind of economic system the respondents would like for the future in Lithuania and what should be Lithuania's relationship with the USSR. The activities of various Lithuanian political forces and movements, M. Gorbachev's domestic policy, A. Brazauskas as a political leader representing Lithuania's interests, former President of the Republic of Lithuania A. Smetona, and the activities of the respondents' district (city) party committee and Sąjūdis were further assessed. It was wanted to find out whether the State Security Committee and the Ministry of the Interior should be subordinated only to the Lithuanian SSR. Respondents were asked whether they believed and how they viewed children’s religious education. They were asked whether they read the Sąjūdis press and what actions should be taken if the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant became Lithuanian. Mr. Gorbachev's 1985 launched an anti-alcohol campaign in the USSR and to express an opinion on the sale of alcoholic beverages. Respondents were asked if they were satisfied with the financial situation of their family. When asked to imagine that two school-age children are growing up in the family, the wife earns 150 rubles, asking how much the husband should earn for the family to live normally. Respondents were further asked to rate the prestige of the firefighting profession in society and were asked if they could recognize firefighters from the uniform on the street. In case of several accidents and catastrophes in Lithuania, which caused fires, it was asked whether the respondents had enough information about their consequences. It was also asked whether "rapid response" teams to fires, accidents, and disasters had been formed in Lithuania. When asked to imagine that in the event of an accident - a fire at a nuclear power plant, oil refinery, etc., the interviewed Lithuanian residents were asked whether firefighters would be able to successfully operate in such a situation. It is further explained how many languages respondents speak other than their mother tongue. Asked if they have a phone and a car at home. They were asked whether they had vacationed at the seaside during the last 5 years and whether they had been on a business trip or a tourist trip abroad.
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<b><i>Socio-demographic characteristics</i></b>: gender, age, number of years of education, education, social status, nationality, monthly family income per one family member, place of residence.