Eurobarometer 52.1 (Nov-Dec 1999)

The major topics are:
1. science and technology
2. quality of life
3. information technologies
4. logos/symbols
5. consumer protection.
Topics:
1. science and technology:
expected influence of new technologies (such as solar energy,
information technology, biotechnology (split: gene technology),
telecommunication, new materials, space exploration, Internet, nuclear energy)
on the life the of respondent in the next 20 years;
associations with the topic modern biotechnology,
including gene research and attitude to certain areas,
such as cloning animals and people,
health research and genetically modified food;
knowledge test on various areas of modern biotechnology;
knowledge and judgement on utility, risk, moral acceptance and
appropriateness of support for various biotechnological applications e.g.
in medicine, with genetically modified foods and cloning of animals and people;
attitude to cloning of animals or genetically modified foods (split);
trust in institutions such as consumer organizations, press, government,
industry, agriculture, churches, doctors etc.
regarding their action and their information policies in biotechnology;
interest in biotechnology.
2. quality of life:
satisfaction with life in general, with health, the public health system,
family life, social life, personal security, the financial situation,
the situation in the job market and the neighborhood;
comparison of current satisfaction with two years ago and in two years;
factors that would improve the quality of life;
distance of respondent from workplace and infrastructure facilities such as:
schools, doctor, police, post office, movies, hospital and supermarket;
self-assessment of personal standard of living;
income excess for savings of respondent;
perceived opportunities to improve personal standard of living:
Job search, further education, self-employment, mobility;
assessment of personal behavior regarding healthful nutrition, sport affinity,
smoking, use of alcohol and stress burden;
trips to doctor or dentist in the last 12 months;
hospital stay and chronic illnesses;
leisure activities exercised and leisure partner;
readiness of respondent to support the socially weak;
assessment which government, charity and other institutions
should support the socially weak;
perception and acceptance of social differences in the country;
task of government in this area (scale).
3. information technologies:
expected influence of information technologies
on improvement in quality of life;
judgement whether government should spend more
to make new information technologies available to everyone;
participation in IT schooling and courses.
4. logos/symbols:
knowledge and assumed significance of the CE symbol;
presence of this identification on various products;
perception of the CE symbol as test symbol;
assumed authority awarding this identification;
consideration of the symbol in purchases;
degree of familiarity and consideration
of further product symbols and marks of quality.
5. consumer protection:
assessment of personal extent to which informed as consumer;
preferred sources of information about consumer rights;
frequency of personal product complaints;
knowledge where and in what form a complaint can be registered;
knowledge about referees, advisors, Ombudsmen and
readiness to to contact them if needed;
problems with products or services in the last 5 years and their resolution;
minimum financial dispute for respondent to initiate legal proceedings;
hesitation to go to court;
possession of legal costs insurance;
readiness for judicial conflict if one can go to court with several consumers;
factors favoring a common defense of rights before a court;
trusted authority in such a procedure;
trust in the system regarding consumer protection;
preferred measures to improve the legal system;
judgement who is responsible for consumer protection;
personal complaints with products purchased abroad;
satisfaction with result achieved;
preferred decision authority in consumer protection questions;
approval of introduction of a uniform EU complaint form;
knowledge of such a form;
possession of durable economic goods such as color television set,
video equipment, radio alarm, PC, camera, drill, electric frying pan and
second car;
vacation home and/or second home
owned by respondent or another person in household.
Demography:
age;
sex;
marital status;
size of household;
children in household;
residential status;
size of residence in qm;
self-assessment on a left-right continuum;
postmaterialism;
age at termination of education;
occupation;
previous occupation;
religion;
self-assessment of religiousness;
household income and most important source of income;
nationality;
city size;
region.
Also encoded was:
date of interview;
start of interview;
length of interview;
presence of further persons during interview;
cooperation of respondent;
possession of a telephone.