ARD-DeutschlandTrend 2008

Since 1997 the ARD-DeutschlandTREND is being conducted on behalf of the ARD (Arbeitsgemeinschaft der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland - First German Public Broadcasting Association) as well as various print media by Infratest dimap. The monthly telephone survey with approx. 1,000 respondents (for party preferences approx. 1,500 respondents) per wave is based on representative samples and measures attitudes of the voting-age population in the Federal Republic of Germany toward parties, politicians, and current political issues. Some topics are asked repeatedly in an identical manner over time, while other topics are included in one or several surveys only. The DeutschlandTREND is available as an annual cumulation for the years from 1998 onwards.<br>Evaluation of the economic situation in Germany at present and in one
year from now, as well as the personal economic situation in 10 years
time; subjective perception of social justice in Germany; satisfaction
with the work of the government (grand coalition); issue competence of
the parties with regard to: securing of old-age provisions, protection
and creation of jobs, policy on foreigners and integration policy,
handling of the current financial and economic crisis, education
policy, energy supply, family policy, social justice, household and
financial policy, battle against climate change, crime and terror,
solution of the most significant problems in Germany, concerns of the
common people, stable prices, tax policy, economic policy, handling of
tax money, fair system of taxes and duties; satisfaction with selected
top politicians (Andrea Nahles, Andrea Ypsilanti, Brigitte Zypries, Cem
Özdemir, Christian Wulff, Erwin Huber, Franz Josef Jung, Franz
Müntefering, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Günther Beckstein, Gregor Gysi,
Horst Seehofer, Jürgen Rüttgers, Jürgen Trittin, Kurt Beck, Horst
Köhler, Angela Merkel, Michael Glos, Oskar Lafontaine, Olaf Scholz, Ole
von Beust, Roland Koch, Renate Künast, Sigmar Gabriel, Peer Steinbrück,
Ulla Schmidt, Ursula von der Leyen, Guido Westerwelle, Wolfgang
Schäuble und Wolfgang Tiefensee); preference for Angela Merkel or Kurt
Beck as German Chancellor (split: Merkel or Frank-Walter Steinmeier) in
case of a direct vote; party preference regarding the parliamentary
elections (opinion polls); evaluation of selected countries as
trustworthy partners of Germany (China, France, Italy, Japan, Poland,
Russia, Great Britain and USA); concerns due to developments in
Germany: poverty in Germany, misuse of data, personal financial
situation, threat to peace and safety in Europe, climate change,
corruption, price increase and national debt; evaluation of the
financial crisis in Germany (scale: savings are safe in German
financial institutions, worst part of the crisis is still to come,
government guarantees for German car industry, state investment in
major companies, victim role of Germany due to mistakes made by the
U.S., combat on economic downturn more important than climate
protection, determined action by the government, desire for an
increased state intervention regarding economy, tax payer has to pay
up, protection of German banks by means of public funds, redeployment
of own savings in order to secure financial funds, bank enquiries
concerning the safety of personal funds, concerns about job loss, own
savings and personal economic future, expectation of bank failures in
Germany); attitudes towards the Linkspartei regarding its understanding
of democracy and its capability to govern (scale); preference of a
general government alliance of the SPD with the Linkspartei or an
analysis of each individual case; attitudes towards the introduction of
a minimum wage; suspected loss of jobs due to the introduction of a
minimum wage; assessment of the adequacy of measures to tighten
juvenile law (scale: increase of maximum sentence from 10 to 15 years,
faster and more immediate start of trial following the offence,
warning-shot arrest in addition to the suspended sentence, harsher
sentences within the scope of existing laws, more comprehensive support
for children and juveniles, setup of boot camps for juvenile offenders,
language training in primary schools, quicker deportation of foreign
high-risk juvenile offenders; attitudes towards the demand of the Verdi
trade union and the civil service union to increase wages by 8 percent
within public services; evaluation of the parties SPD, Grünen, CDU/CSU,
FDP and the Linkspartei with regard to coherence and incoherence;
preference for Roland Koch or Andrea Ypsilanti as prime minister in
Hesse; attitudes towards labour (scale: job search easier but worse
payment than before, fair treatment of employees by the companies,
worries concerning job loss, demand for higher salaries and wages);
preference for an extension of the NATO mission of the Bundeswehr in
Afghanistan or for a quick withdrawal; attitudes towards the takeover
of combat missions by the Bundeswehr in Afghanistan; comparison between
Angela Merkel and Kurt Beck regarding their credibility, assertiveness,
power orientation, sincerity and leadership qualities; elegibility of
the Linkspartei; attitudes towards a coalition between the CDU and
Grünen (scale: do not match, coalition as an emergency solution, trial
coalition in one of the federal states, blockade of decisions, good
alliance for economy and environment); attitudes towards a cooperation
between the SPD and Linkspartei (scale: respondent does not want to
live in a state that is co-governed by the Linkspartei, no major
differences between the parties, SPD will use the opportunity to form a
government with the aid of the Linkspartei, a government like any other
one); opinion regarding a second term of office of Horst Köhler as
Federal President; attitudes towards a school time reduction from 13 to
12 years; opinion regarding a reduction of school hours in order to
take pressure off pupils; attitudes towards a selection of possible
government coalitions following the parliamentary elections for the
Bundestag; importance of having knowledge of coalition intentions and
political contents of parties regarding the own election decision;
preferred behaviour of parties until parliamentary elections: search
for political profile or coalition partner; knowledge of
content-related position of SPD, CDU, CSU, FDP, Grünen and Linkspartei;
personal profit from economic growth in Germany; attitudes towards a
NATO-entry by the Ukraine and Georgia; party with sound policies for
employees as well as a party, which represents pensioners; attitudes
towards economy and trade unions in Germany (identical scale for both
groups: successful implementation of interests within society, perform
good work, sound people at the top, desire for more influence within
society, decline (split: improvement) of work conditions); trade unions
are primarily concerned with people in safe jobs; preferred efforts of
unions to increase salaries and wages, to abandon redundancies or to
prevent an increase of working hours; preferred behaviour of alienated
grand coalition: continue grand coalition until parliamentary elections
or new elections; SPD politician with highest chances for the office of
Federal Chancellor (split: best candidate for Chancellor) during next
parliamentary elections in 2009 (Andrea Nahles, Frank-Walter
Steinmeier, Peer Steinbrück, Klaus Wowereit oder Gesine Schwan); trust
in institutions (government, political parties, major companies and
trade unions); democracy satisfaction; personal profit from economic
growth and/or reasons for lacking profit; self-assessment of social
class affiliation; comparison between the politicians Kurt Beck and
Frank-Walter Steinmeier with regard to: sympathy, credibility,
closeness to people, Germany’s representation around the world, support
by the own party, commitment for the common people, economic insight,
experience, chances against Angela Merkel in election campaign;
attitudes towards Germany’s withdrawal from the nuclear energy
programme until 2020; withdrawal supporters were asked: continued
operation of German nuclear power plants beyond the year 2020, if
electricity prices are thereby lowered (and/or split: if this results
in a reduction of greenhouse gases); attitudes towards increasing
energy prices and other products; (scale: annoyed but no buying
resistance, price development is frightening, concerns that money won’t
last, saving opportunities no longer available, there is already not
enough money, parties show too little concern); conscious saving due to
increase in prices; areas, in which savings took place; attitudes
towards SPD (scale: more alienated than other parties, good leadership
staff, more concerned with the common people than other parties, party
of social justice, plays no important role in politics, chances to
provide next Federal Chancellor, desire for a more important role of
the SPD); attitudes towards Wolfgang Clement (scale: behaviour was
damaging to SPD, should be excluded from the SPD; satisfaction with his
political efforts, desire for a more important role within the SPD;
attitudes towards the CSU as sole party in power in Bavaria following
the state election: preferred sole governance or with a future
coalition partner; attitudes towards the awarding of the Olympic Games
to China; image gain or loss for China due to the Olympic Games;
evaluation of Olympic Games regarding fairness (fair competitions or
doping); preferred behaviour of German athletes in China: public
announcement of opinion or focus on the sport; expected effects of
Olympic Games on the human rights situation in China; candidate for
Chancellor of the SPD with highest chances of winning next year’s
parliamentary elections (Kurt Beck, Frank-Walter Steinmeier or Franz
Müntefering); anticipation of a coalition of the SPD with the
Linkspartei; attitudes towards the intention of SPD parliamentary party
leader Andrea Ypsilanti to be elected prime minister in Hesse with the
votes of the Linkspartei; attitudes towards data protection in Germany
(scale: basic right to data protection within the constitution, no
disclosure of individual data without explicit consent, harassment by
telemarketing and junk mail, caution regarding the disclosure of
personal data); authority regarding the protection of personal data
(each individual or politics or legislator); comparison between both
candidates for Chancellor Angela Merkel and Frank-Walter Steinmeier
with regard to: sympathy, reliability, familiarity with civic problems,
superior figure in public, economic-political expertise, commitment to
the poor and weak of society, support from own party, person with
leadership qualities, chances of assuming Chancellorship as well as
concepts for resolving future problems in Germany; expected change of
personal economic situation in 10 years as compared to now; evaluation
of efforts by Chancellor Merkel, finance minister Steinbrück and
economics minister Glos in dealing with the current financial crisis;
attitudes towards the economic stimulus plan of the federal government;
evaluation of selected measures of the economic stimulus plan (tax
relieves for companies who acquire new machines, tax exemption for new
low-emission cars, more money for the refurbishment of buildings,
expansion of infrastructure, increased tax deductibility of workmen
bills; attitudes towards collective negotiations in the metal and
electrical industries: moderate pay increase or significantly more
money for employees; changed expenses regarding Christmas presents as
compared to last year; attitudes towards Angela Merkel: successfully
represents German interests around the world, lacking policy-making
power, is more concerned with economic interests than with the common
people, convincingly battles global climate change, provides for an
effective protection against crime and terror, provides for an economic
boost in Germany, does a competent job in dealing with the current
financial crisis; evaluation of possible government coalitions;
preference for immediate tax cuts or for a comprehensive tax reform and
budget reorganisation at a later date.

Demography: sex; age; occupation; job; professional status; highest
educational qualification; net household income; federal state.

In addition, the following were encoded: region; city size; weighting
factor.