ISSP Study 1990

Political attitudes and understanding of democracy.

Topics: Judgement on the economic situation of the state as well as of
the Federal Republic; assessment of personal economic situation; fair
share of national product; interest in politics; preferred forms of
political participation; attitude to life in the Federal Republic;
judgement on the conduct of politicians regarding the citizens;
interest in active participation in a political group; feeling of
political effectiveness; politics perceived as too complicated;
assessment of political conflicts as harm to the public interest;
attitude to the right to demonstrate; necessity of violent conflicts in
a democratic society; right to freedom of speech; attitude to criticism
of the government by the opposition; judgement on the basic ability of
each party to govern; priority of public interest over individual
wishes; middle-class obligation to oppose human rights violations;
perceived pride in the constitution, the Federal Parliament, German
sport, German culture, economic success, scientific achievement of the
country, the welfare state and the former GDR; national pride;
postmaterialism; self-classification as well as classification of the
parties Alliance 90, CDU, FDP, Greens, PDS, Republicans and SPD on a
left-right continuum; acceptable reasons for an abortion; possession of
a telephone; behavior at the polls in the last two elections; hours
worked each week; personal unemployment in the last few weeks;
religiousness; membership in a religious community; residential status.

Within the framework of a written supplementary survey the respondents
were asked the following questions: political participation and
attitude to political resistance; attitude to protest actions; attitude
to a miscarriage of justice; just share of tax for those with higher
income; reduction of income differences as government task; attitude to
legal wage and price control; preferred government measures to improve
the economic situation of the country; attitude to the employment
program and subsidies; preference for inflation or reduction in
unemployment rate; approval of a reduction in working hours; preferred
government control or responsibility in selected economic and social
areas.