East Asian Social Survey (EASS), Cross-National Survey Data Sets: Culture and Globalization in East Asia, 2008

The East Asian Social Survey (EASS) is a biennial social survey project that serves as a cross-national network of the following four General Social Survey type surveys in East Asia: Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS), Japanese General Social Survey (JGSS), Korean General Social Survey (KGSS), Taiwan Social Change Survey (TSCS), and comparatively examines diverse aspects of social life in these regions. Survey information in this module focuses on leisure and recreational activities, as well as cultural norms and expectations of respondents. Specific questions were asked pertaining to how often respondents watched certain types of movies, dramas, and other forms of entertainment, as well as what country this entertainment was in. Other information collected includes opinion questions, such as qualities preferred in friends, family responsibilities and roles, as well as taste in music, and feelings of closeness to one's country, city or town, and East Asia. Other topics include sources of international news and discussion frequency, countries or regions traveled, as well as where acquaintances live. Additionally, respondents were asked how accepting they would be of people from other countries as coworkers, neighbors, and in marriage. Information was collected regarding foreign practices, whether the respondent was working for a foreign capital company, and the economic environment. Respondents were also asked to provide their family members' and acquaintances' occupations, as well as assess their own proficiency when reading, speaking, and writing in English. Demographic information specific to the respondent and their spouse includes age, sex, marital status, education, employment status and hours worked, occupation, earnings and income, religion, class, size of community, and region.