ALLBUS/GGSS 2004 (Allgemeine Bevölkerungsumfrage der Sozialwissenschaften/German General Social Survey 2004)

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 main question module of ALLBUS/GGSS 2004 covers the topic of "Social Inequality.” In addition to questions on objective indicators of unequal living conditions, the module contains questions on subjective perceptions and evaluations of inequality, on health and on access to information technology (‘Digital Divide’). Other topics are, for example, political attitudes, free time activities and media use, and perception of gender roles. Additionally, the ISSP modules "Citizenship" and "National Identity II" are included.<br>1. Free time activities and media use: reading books; reading
magazines; listening to records, CD´s, cassettes; watching videos,
DVDs; 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 the cinema, to pop concerts, jazz or dance
events; classic culture (i.e. opera, classical concerts, theater,
exhibitions); mobile phone use; number of television sets in the
household; frequency and overall time of watching television; taste in
television programs: 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 a daily newspaper per week.

2. Social inequality and the welfare state: self-assessment of
social class; fair share in standard of living; attitudes towards the
welfare state and social inequality; realization of personal ideas of
success; evaluation of appropriate education opportunities for
everyone; most important prerequisites for success in society;
attitudes towards social differences and conditions for success;
opinions on personal social security; stance on extension or reduction
in social services.

3. Political attitudes: political interest; postmaterialism
(importance of law and order, fighting rising prices, free expression
of opinions, and influence on governmental decisions); self-placement
on a left-right continuum.

4. Technical progress and computers (Digital Divide): attitudes
towards modern technology, computers, and the Internet; time and place
of first computer use; number of computers in the household; purpose of
computer use; time spent using the computer; special computer skills;
reasons for not using computers; Internet use; time and place of first
Internet use; reasons for not using the Internet; Internet access at
home; purpose of Internet use; time spent using the Internet; number of
friends using the Internet; frequency of computer use at the workplace;
Internet access at the workplace; Internet use at the workplace for job
and for private purposes.

5. Health: overall health; physical and psychological shape during
the last four weeks; chronic illnesses; been sick in the last four
weeks; reason for and frequency of seeing a doctor in the last three
months; time spent in hospital during the last 12 months; officially
recognized disability level; smoking habits; height and weight;
consumption of various foodstuffs and beverages; perceived influences
on personal health and speed of recovery from illness; working
conditions; number of times respondent was on sick leave during the
last 12 months.

6. Other topics: assessment of the present and future economic
situation in Germany; assessment of present and future personal
economic situation; social pessimism and orientation towards the future
(anomia); attitudes towards the role of women in the family; fear of
unemployment or loss of own business.

7. ALLBUS-Demography: Details about the respondent:
gender, month and year of birth, age, school education, vocational
training, employment status, details about current occupation,
affiliation to public service, supervisory functions, working hours per
week, length of unemployment, additional job to main occupation, status
of non-employment, details about former occupation, date of termination
of full- or part-time employment, details about first occupation,
marital status, citizenship (nationality); geographical origin and
personal mobility, length of residence, respondent´s income; religious
denomination, frequency of church attendance; membership in a political
party or trade union; voting intention (Sonntagsfrage), recall of vote
in last federal election (as part of ISSP), place of residence (federal
state, administrative district, size of municipality, BIK-type of
region).

Details about respondent´s current spouse: age, school education,
vocational training, employment status, details about current occupation,
status of non-employment.

Details about respondent´s steady partner: common household, age,
school education, vocational training, employment status, details about
current occupation, status of non-employment.

Details about respondent´s parents: school education, vocational training,
details about parents´ occupation.

Description of household: size of household, number of persons older
than 17 in household (reduced size of household), household income, types of
income in household, principal source of income, type of dwelling, size of
dwelling place, impact of noise and air pollution on living conditions, cat or dog
in the household.

Details about household members: relation to respondent, gender, age, marital
status; type of school currently attended by children, children´s school education,
children´s university degree.

Details about children not living in the household: gender, age, type of school
currently attended, school education, university degree.

8. Data on the interview (paradata): length of interview; date of interview;
presence of other persons during interview (presence of spouse,
partner, children, members of the family, other persons); interference
of other persons in the course of the interview; willingness of
respondent to cooperate; reliability of information from respondent;
reachability and willingness to participate; details about respondent´s
residential building and its neighborhood; willingness to participate
in panel; participation in additional ISSP-survey.

Data on the interviewer: gender, age, school education, identification of
interviewer, experience as interviewer.

9. National Identity (ISSP): identification with one´s place of
residence, the federal state, Germany and Europe; sources of personal
identity; criteria for being German; attitudes toward Germany; national
pride; reasons for being proud of Germany; relative importance of
national interest and international cooperation; assessment of
international organizations; Internet as source of information;
assimilation or multicultural society; pros and cons of migration;
national roots; German citizenship and civil rights for migrants.
Self-assessment of character traits (abridged Big Five Inventory
measuring extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional
stability, openness to experience); self-classification on a
top-bottom-scale; self-description of place of residence; electoral
participation; recall of vote in last federal election.

10. Citizenship (ISSP): qualities of a good citizen; freedom of
assembly for religious fanatics, revolutionaries and ethnocentrists;
social and political participation; memberships; relative importance of
various civil rights; political alienation; level of political
awareness; subjective assessment of political influence (political
efficacy); political interest; trust in fellow men and in politicians;
political work in everyday life; national sovereignty and international
organizations; political parties and participation of citizens in
political life; assessment of the electoral process; commitment to
serve the people, ability to self-reform, and corruption in public
service; working of democracy at the moment, 10 years ago, in 10 years;
attitude towards the limitation of civil rights. Self-assessment
of character traits (abridged Big Five Inventory measuring
extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability,
openness to experience); self-classification on a top-bottom-scale;
self-description of place of residence; electoral participation; recall
of vote in last federal election.

11. Added value: Inglehart-index; family typology,
classification of households (according to Porst and Funk);
International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO 1968, 1988);
occupational prestige (according to Treiman); SIOPS (according to
Ganzeboom); ISEI (according to Ganzeboom); magnitude prestige
(according to Wegener); occupational classification (according to
Terwey); class position (according to Goldthorpe); Body Mass Index;
weights.