Australian Candidate Study, 2001

The 2001 Australian Candidate Study is the sixth in a series of election studies on federal election candidates. In 2001, candidates from the following parties were surveyed - Labor, Liberal, National, Democrat, the Greens and One Nation. The study examined the prominent election issues, including attitudes to particular economic issues, and opinions on what are considered to be the most critical problems facing Australia. Opinions on other political issues such as security relations with other countries, assistance for Aborigines and women, and social issues such as abortion and pornography were also sought. A section on political and social institutions includes questions on the Australian democratic system, the role of the Monarchy, immigration and racism. In addition, the survey asked questions relating to the political background, such as electoral history, political party involvement and membership of community organisations. A section on campaigning asked for the amount of time candidates spent on campaign activities and the amount of support received from various sources. ALP candidates were also asked a series of questions on ALP factions. Background variables include age, country of birth, age when left school, number of years of tertiary study, religion, frequency of attending religious services, marital status, House contested and party affiliated with.