ANES 1958 Time Series Study

This study is part of a time-series collection of national surveys fielded continuously since 1948. The election studies are designed to present data on Americans' social backgrounds, enduring political predispositions, social and political values, perceptions and evaluations of groups and candidates, opinions on questions of public policy, and participation in political life. The 1958 study may be analyzed both on its own, as a cross-section survey representative of the U.S. population of voting age, and as the second wave of a panel study that started with the ANES 1956 Time Series Study (ICPSR 7214) and ended with the ANES 1960 Time Series Study (ICPSR 7216). Each respondent was interviewed only once, after the election. Respondents who had not been interviewed in 1956 were selected from dwelling units vacated by 1956 respondents (movers). The questionnaires contained both closed and open-ended questions covering a wide range of topics. In addition to general political attitudes, the study obtained information about the more specific attitudes and behaviors pertinent to the 1958 Congressional Election, like the respondents' actual vote and reasons for the vote, attitudes toward political parties and candidates, and the respondents' political history. Data were also collected on specific domestic and foreign policy issues such as government involvement in housing and public utilities, and United States aid to anti-Communist nations. The study also ascertained the financial situation of the family unit and other demographic information.