Elmira Community Study, 1948

This four-wave data collection contains information on the social and psychological aspects of political behavior among voters in Elmira, New York, in 1948. In order to probe voting behavior among the electorate, information was gathered about labor unions and community organizations, social and ethnic differences, perceptions of group voting trends, the influence of family and friends, polarization between social groups, and effects of political campaigns on social groups. Respondents were asked about their party choice, voting intentions, perceived best Republican and Democratic presidential candidates, the two major electoral issues facing the country, effects of the elected president on the relations between the United States and Russia, and their voting behaviors. Other items probed respondents' feelings about price controls, big corporations, labor unions, the economy, cost of living, relations between labor and management, their community, their job, war prospects, and the Middle East crisis. Additional items queried respondents on exposure to and use of the news media, recreational and reading habits, the role of mass media in transmitting political information, and the effects of specific campaign events on voters. Demographic items specify age, education, sex, marital status, religion, occupation, social class, club memberships, family's choice of presidential candidate, veteran status, length of residence in neighborhood, and nationality.