New Democracies Barometer II - Winter 1992/93
Fieldwork in Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Croatia, Belarus and Ukraine. Fieldwork was in two stages in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, before and after the "velvet divorce". Analysis published in SPP 212.
I ECONOMIC QUESTIONS
Q1. Please tell me: Do you or anyone in your household do any of the
following: Yes /No
a) Spend some time each week growing food?
b) Spend a lot of time building or repairing your house?
c) Spend more than an hour a day queuing for things in shops?
IF YES Q2a-c. Are you or members of your household
spending more time, less time or the same amount of time as a year ago?
More Less Same
Q3) Do you or others in your households help friends or relatives with
house repairs, growing food, repairing a car, standing in queues, etc?
Yes/ No
If YES: Q4) And do you or a member of your household do this:
Often
Sometimes
Occasionally
Very seldom
Q5) Do friends and relatives sometimes help you or other members of
the
family with house repairs, growing food, repairing a car, standing in
queues, etc?
Yes No
If YES: Q6) And do these people do this:
Often
Read out: Sometimes
Occasionally
Very seldom
Q7) It often helps to know people who can do things for you (that is,
have
connections) In the last year, has anyone in your household gone to
somebody to get things done you could not get in the ordinary way?
Yes No
If YES: Q8) And must you pay for this? Was it ...(READ OUT)
Very expensive
Not very expensive
Didn't have to pay at all
Q9) People sometimes use foreign currency, such as dollars or Deutsche
Marks, to buy what they want. In the past year has anyone in your family
been able to buy things with foreign money?
Yes No
Q10) Were you in the past unemployed for a short time or a long time?
Yes No
Q11) Do you have a regular job?
Yes No
If YES Q12) Do you get enough money from your regular job to buy what
you really need?
Definitely enough
Read out: Just enough
Not quite enough
Definitely not enough
Q13) Do you or anyone in your family have a second job to earn some
money?
Yes No
Q14) Which of these is the most important for the standard of living
of you
and your family?
Q15) And which of these is second most important? (Same card as Q.15)
SHOW CARD:
(Only one answer for each)
-Growing own food
-House repairs
-Getting paid money for doing favours,
-What we get with the help of friends and relatives
-Buying things with foreign currency
-Earnings in second job
-What we can obtain by paying "tips"
-Earnings from regular job
-Pension or unemployment money
-Benefits given at work, like meals, holidays,
Q16) In the past year, has your family: READ OUT
Saved money
Just got by
Spent some savings
Borrowed money
Spent savings and borrowed money
Q17) How long will it be before you have reached a standard of living
with
which you are content?
1-2 years
3-5 years
Show card: 6-10 years
More than 10 years
Never
Don't know
Already content
Here is a scale for ranking how the economy works. The top, plus 100,
is the best; at the bottom, minus 100, is the worst. (SHOW CARD)
Q18) Where on this scale would you put the socialist economy before
the revolution?
Q19) Where on this scale would you put our present economic system?
Q20) Where would you put our economic system in five years time?
Q21) As far as your family is concerned, all in all how do you rate
the
economic situation of your family today
Very satisfactory
Read out: Fairly satisfactory
Not very satisfactory
Very unsatisfactory
Q22) When you compare your overall household economic situation with
five
years ago, would you say that in the past it was:
Much better
A little better
Read out: About the same
A little worse
A lot worse
Q23) What do you think the economic situation of your household will
be in
five years time?
Much better
A little better
Read out: About the same
A little worse
A lot worse
II POLITICAL QUESTIONS
Q24) On this card you will find a set of contrasting opinions about
public
problems. For each pair, please say which is closer to your view. view?
a) Incomes should be made more equal, so there is no great difference
OR
b) Individual achievement should determine how much people are paid
c) Individuals should take responsibility for themselves and their livelihood
OR
d) The state should be responsible for everyone's material security
e) State ownership is the best way to run an enterprise
OR
f) An enterprise is best run by private entrepreneurs who produce goods
that people want to buy.
g) A good job is one that is secure even if it doesn't pay very much
OR
h) A good job pays good money, even if it is not so secure
j) Government should cut taxes even if it means reducing spending on
education, health care and pensions
OR
k) Even if it means people like myself paying more in taxes,
government should spend more on education, health and pensions
l) Rising prices are the biggest threat to our family
OR
m) Unemployment is the biggest threat for my family
Q25) Here is a scale for ranking how the government works. The top,
plus
100, is the best; at the bottom, minus 100, is the worst. (SHOW CARD)
Q25) Where on this scale would you put the former communist regime
Q26) Where on this scale would you put our present system of governing
with
free elections and many parties?
Q27) Where on this scale would you put our system of governing in five
years time?
Q28) Some people think this country would be better governed if parliament
were suspended and we did not have lots of political parties. How likely
do
you think this would be to happen in this country in the next few years?
(READ OUT)
Very likely
Maybe
Not very likely
Not at all likely
Q29) If Parliament was suspended and parties abolished, would you approve
or disapprove
Approve Disapprove
Q30) Do you think any of these pose a real threat to peace and security
in
this society? READ OUT EACH
Yes No
a) Neighbouring countries
b) Russia
c) United States
d) Germany
e) Nationalities/minorities in our society
f) Immigrants/refugees from other societies
Q31) To which religious group do you belong?
Roman Catholic
Uniate Catholic
Protestant
Orthodox
Jewish
Muslim
Other
Not a believer
Refused
Q32) How often do you attend religious services?
Nearly every week
About once a month
READ: few times a year
Rarely
Never
Q33) Here are a few statements that people sometimes make. What do you
think?
Agree strongly/ Agree somewhat/ Disagree somewhat/ Disagree strongly
a) The state should act against people whose political views are very
extreme and different from the majority
b) It is not necessary to obey a law that is unjust
c) A strong leader can do more for our country than all the discussions
in
Parliament
Q34) Do you feel close to one political party or movement or not?
Yes (party named)
No
Don't know
Refused
If YES Q35) How close do you feel to this party?
Very close
Somewhat
Not very close
(Interviewer gives respondent an envelope and ballot paper and says:)
In this envelope is a ballot with the names of political parties. Please
put a cross by the name of the party that you would vote for if an election
was held next Sunday.)
DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONS
S 1. Gender
Male Female
S 2. Marital status:
Single/ Married / Separated, divorced/ Widow-Widower
S 3. Age in years
S 4A. Size of town (Institute to code)
Rural, village up to 5,000
5,001 to 20,000
20,001-50,000
50,0001-100,000
100-999,999
1 million or more
National capital (If not the only city in one of previous categories)
S4B Type of settlement (Institute to code)
Rural village
Village near city
Small rural town
Small industrial town
Medium town, little industry
Medium town, much industry
Big city, central
Big city, suburbs.
Capital.
S 5. Adults living in household who have an income: N adults
S 6A. What is your own average monthly income? -----
(EITHER record actual sum OR show card with income categories)
(If no income, code 0 = No personal income)
S6B. And for your household, altogether what is the total monthly income?
(EITHER record actual sum OR show card with income categories)
S7-15 Does your household have any of the following? Yes/No
S7 Radio
S8 Black and white TV
S9 Colour TV
S10 Washing machine
S11 Refrigerator
S12 Telephone
S13 Car
S14 Motorbike
S15 Dacha
S16. What is your main source of income
- Student
- Fulltime Employee
- Part-time employee
- Family helper
- Apprentice
- Unemployed
- Pensioner
- Allowance
- Widow Pension
- Housewife
S17 What is your occupation?
- Own enterprise
- Professional
- Manager
- Executive
- Qualified non-manual
- Non-qualified non-manual
- Qualified civil servant
- Unqualified civil servant
- Skilled worker
- Unskilled worker
- Farmer
- Military, police
- Other.
S18. What is the highest educational qualification you have obtained
(or
expect to) obtain?
Elementary, secondary without any qualification
Vocational qualification for manual trade
Non-manual vocational qualification (e.g. secretary, civil service clerk);
Academic secondary education to university entrance
University study or equivalent
S19. How old were you (or will you be) when you finish fulltime education?
---- (In years)
S20 What is the total number of persons in the household?
S21 What is the number of children in the household? What are their
ages?
- N children < 2 years old
- N children < 6 years old
- N children <14 years old.
Interviewer to code
S22. Region
Date of interview.