The Pulse of Europe (European Russia)

Judgement on current situation in life and political and economic
development of the country in times of economic and social upheaval.

Topics: 1. Common part of the survey for all participating countries:
most important problems of the country; intent to emigrate and country
of choice; desired occupation for one´s own child; judgement on the
work of the president of the country; fears and desires for the future;
assessment of current standard of living and comparison with the
situation five years ago and expected future development; judgement on
the situation of the country in comparison over time; preference for
freedom or social security; attitude to admission of undemocratic
parties; attitude to freedom of the press; perceived discrimination
against women; attitude to division of labor in raising children;
judgement on conduct of parliamentary representatives and attitude to
democracy in the country (scale); feeling of political effectiveness;
internal or external control; achievement orientation; attitude to the
national economy; demand for increased environmental protection; desire
for foreign support for one´s country; the government as guarantor of
equal opportunities and social security; welfare state; necessity of
the willingness to compromise in politics; interest in politics at
municipal level; diminishing interest in political events;
self-assessment as patriot; attitude to securing of peace through
military strength; readiness for national defense; necessity of
participation of one´s country in world politics; claims to territory
in neighboring countries; attitude to restriction on immigration;
attitude to use of military for restoration of world order.

Religion and morals: importance of prayer and significance of God in
one´s own life; doubt in the existence of God; attitude to prohibition
of books critical of society and to sex magazines and films; attitude
to freedom of speech even for fascists; assessment of the general
trustworthiness of people; AIDS as punishment by God; representation of
traditional values in the area of family and marriage; attitude to
abortion; clear concepts of Good and Evil; perceived intensification of
class differences; assessment of personal things in common with
uneducated and with persons of another race or ethnic affiliation;
satisfaction with one´s own financial situation.

Demography: party membership; union membership; residential status;
city size; religiousness.

2. Additional questions in this survey: judgement on political and
economic changes of the last few years; particularly positive and
negative changes; attitude to introduction of a multi-party system and
introduction of the free market economy; judgement on the speed of
transition to the free market economy; assessment of the influence of
the media and organizations as well as institutions on the country;
assumed influence of foreign nations on one´s own country; attitude to
selected ethnic groups (Russians, Georgians, Lithuanians, Ukrainians,
Jews, Armenians, Azerbaijanis) and people from the asiatic republics;
perceived threat to the nation from within and without; judgement on
the effects of the social changes on the standard of living, moral
concepts, public morals, dealing of the people with one another and on
the relation of ethnic groups with each other; judgement on the
influence of the church; most reliable alliance partner for one´s
country; countries from which the greatest threat originates; attitude
to Gorbachev, Bush, the Pope, the UN and selected personalities of
public life; attitude to privatization of selected areas of the economy
and civil service; attitude to free establishing of prices; acceptance
of unemployment or preference for government guarantee of
full-employment; attitude to a government-specified profit limitation;
attitude to borrowing to finance durable economic goods; occupation
within one´s own home; work satisfaction; satisfaction with employer;
attitude to founding business with credit financing; judgement on the
speed with which democracy is developing in the country; identification
with one´s country or the Soviet Union; assessment of the ability of
government, army, parties, church and KGB; attitude to a Republic
independent of the USSR; most important reasons for desired
independence; privileged or disadvantaged republics within the USSR;
preferred development of society in the direction of socialism or
capitalism; greatest fears of the future; attitude to private property
and sale of land by farmers; preference for a democratic government or
a strong leadership; attitude to a careful discussion of political
controversies; career of the newly successful due to performance or
through connections; attribution of failures to society or persons;
egoism or social conditions as reasons for inadequate material
provision; characterization of one´s own people by means of a list of
characteristics; nationality.