International Social Survey Programme: Health and Health Care - ISSP 2011

The International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) is a continuous programme of cross-national collaboration running annual surveys on topics important for the social sciences. The programme started in 1984 with four founding members - Australia, Germany, Great Britain, and the United States – and has now grown to almost 50 member countries from all over the world. As the surveys are designed for replication, they can be used for both, cross-national and cross-time comparisons. Each ISSP module focuses on a specific topic, which is repeated in regular time intervals. Please, consult the documentation for details on how the national ISSP surveys are fielded. The present study focuses on questions about individual health and the health care system.<br>Satisfaction with life (happiness); confidence in the
educational system and the health system of the country; changes of
health care system is needed; justification of better medical supply
and better education for people with higher incomes; assessment of the
health care system of the country (scale: estimation of improvement of
the health care system, usage of health care services more than
necessary, government should provide only basic health care services,
inefficient health care system); willingness to pay higher taxes to
improve the level of health care for all people in the country;
attitude towards public funding of: preventive medical checkups,
treatment of HIV/AIDS, programs to prevent obesity and conduct organ
transplants; attitude towards the access to publicly funded health care
for people without citizenship of the country and even if they behave
in ways that damage their health; estimated part of people without
access to the health care system; causes of severe health problems
(behavior that damages health, environment, genes, poverty); evaluation
of patients for smoking habits, age and the presence of young children
for a needed heart operation; attitude towards alternative (traditional
or folk) medicine (provides better solutions for health problems than
conventional medicine, promises more than it is able to deliver);
assessment of doctors in general in the country (scale: doctors can be
trusted, discuss all treatment options with their patients, poor
medical skills, more care about their earnings than about their
patients, openness in dealing with mistakes during treatment);
frequency of difficulties with work or household activities because of
health problems, bodily aches or pains, unhappiness and depression,
loss of self-confidence and insuperable problems in the past four
weeks; frequency of doctor visits and of visiting an alternative
(traditional/folk) health care practitioner during the past twelve
months; stay in hospital or a clinic as an in-patient overnight during
the last year; reasons why the respondent did not receive needed
medical treatment (could not pay for it, could not take the time off
work or because of other commitments, needed treatment was not
available at the place of residence, too long waiting list); likelihood
of getting the best treatment available in the country in the case of
seriously illness and of treatment from the doctor of own choice;
satisfaction with the health care system in the country; satisfaction
with treatment at the last visit to a doctor, when attending
alternative health care practitioner and with the last hospital stay;
number of smoked cigarettes per day; frequency of drinking four or more
alcoholic drinks on the same day, strenuous physical activity and of
eating fresh fruit or vegetables; assessment of personal health;
respondent has a long-standing illness, a chronic condition or a
disability; height and weight of respondent; kind of personal health
insurance; only respondents with health insurance: assessment of
personal health insurance coverage.

Optional items: personal health insurance covers the prescribed drugs,
dental health care and in-patient health care in hospital; need of a
referral from the family doctor before visiting a medical specialist;
limitation of social activities with family or friends because of
health problems.

Demography: Sex; age; year of birth; years in school; education
(country specific); highest completed degree; work status; hours worked
weekly; employment relationship; number of employees; supervision of
employees; number of supervised employees; type of organization:
for-profit vs. non profit and public vs. private; occupation (ISCO-88);
main employment status; living in steady partnership; union membership;
religious affiliation or denomination (country specific); groups of
religious denominations; attendance of religious services; top-bottom
self-placement; vote in last general election; country specific party
voted in last general election; party voted (left-right); ethnicity
(country specific); number of children; number of toddlers; size of
household; earnings of respondent (country specific); family income
(country specific); marital status; place of living: urban – rural;
region (country specific).

Information about spouse and about partner on: work status; hours
worked weekly; employment relationship: supervises other employees,
occupation (ISCO-88); main employment status.

Additionally encoded: date of interview; case substitution flag; mode
of data collection; weight.