The Political Action Panel Study

Follow-up survey of a study from the early 70´s on structures anddeterminants of political ideology in three industrial countries. Topics: assessment of current, earlier and future material standard ofliving; contentment with life; personal problems in daily life andgreatest current problem; personal ability to solve problems;organization, government institutions or parties as perceived solutionauthorities; political interest; perception of over- or underprivilegedgroups; attitude to the fight against terrorism at the cost ofindividual freedom, to nuclear energy, social equality, social equalstatus for the sexes, extension of the government sphere of influencein economy and society, abortion and environmental protection; attitudeto change of society; readiness for political activities at local andnational level (Almond-Verba activity index); self-assessment on aleft-right continuum; left-right understanding; postmaterialism (twoindex versions); evaluation of government task fulfillment in the areasof care for old people, equal rights, job market policies, instruction,medical care, housing policies, environmental protection, the fightagainst crime, policies on minorities, balance of social inequality,fighting inflation and provision of energy; classification of theimportance of these problems; good and bad sides of the parties;sympathy scale for social groupings, organizations and parties as wellas for the political system; attitude to the current government and thepolitical system; attitude to selected political forms of protest;political participation; point in time, goals and initiator of theprotest; attitude to government repression against protest measures;party identification; behavior at the polls in the last and votingintent in the coming national election; extent, point in time, goalsand initiator of personal political activities; assessment of politicaleffectiveness and feeling of political representation; attitude toyouth protest; influence on the government through interests of thepowerful; trust in the government; month and year of birth; descriptionof financial and family situation in parental home during personalchildhood and youth; social origins; party preference of parents;assessment of personal social class; superior function at work;unemployment and assessment of personal job security; union membershipand participation in trade union meetings; memberships. Demography: age; sex; marital status; religiousness; frequency ofchurch attendance; employment; income; household income; householdsize; respondent is head of household; party preference; votingbehavior at the last election; degree of urbanization; Interviewer rating: assessment of ethnic group affiliation; presenceof third persons during interview and frequency of intervention in theinterview; willingness and reliability of respondent; building type;date of interview; length of interview; interviewer identification;city size. Indices: conventional political participation; protest readiness andprotest activities; protest potential; repression potential; typologyof political participation and political activity; ideologicalthinking; left-right understanding; level of ideologicalconceptionalization; postmaterialism index; political efficiency;political trust; readiness to react to the system; left-right behaviorat the polls; left-right party preference; election and partypreference for government or opposition party; party identification;expectations of the youth; dimension of party orientation and socialorientation; perception of group privileges; education.