New Democracies Barometer III - Winter 1993/94
Countries: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Croatia, Belarus and Ukraine. For initial analysis, see SPP 230 For a book-length study, see the analysis in Richard Rose, William Mishler and Christian Haerpfer, Democracy and Its Alternative: Understanding Post-Communist Societies (for details, click here).
I ECONOMIC QUESTIONS
Q1. In the past year have you at some time been unemployed?
Yes
No
Not in labour force
Q2. IF YES: How many weeks have you been unemployed in the past year?
Yes, 1 week
2 weeks
3 weeks
4 weeks
5-6 weeks
7 to 12 weeks
13 to 26 weeks
27 to 52 weeks
IF YES. Q3. Did you receive unemployment or social security benefit
money
from the state?
Yes
No
Q4. Have you in the past year been temporarily laid off work and not
paid
by your employer?
Yes
No
Not in labour force
IF YES Q5. How long did this unpaid time last?
Yes, 1 week
2 weeks
3 weeks
4 weeks
5-6 weeks
7 to 12 weeks
13 to 26 weeks
27 to 52 weeks
Q6. What is your current economic situation?
Full-time job
Part-time job (up to 20 hours a week)
Self-employed
Unemployed, no state benefit
Unemployed, state benefit
Pensioner, employed
Pensioner, not employed
Other state income maintenance grant
Other, housewife,student
Q7. IF EMPLOYED, what type of employer do you have?
Public agency
State enterprise
State enterprise now privatized
Private enterprise, cooperative
Farm collective
Independent farmer
Q8. Imagine that by luck you unexpectedly got a lot of money, for example,
from an inheritance or winning a lottery. Would you:
Continue at same job
Try to get a better job
Start business, buy farm
Stop working
Q9. Do you get enough money from your regular job to buy what you really
need?
Definitely enough
Just enough
Not quite enough
Definitely not enough
Q10. Do you or anyone in your family have a second job to earn some
money?
Yes
No
Q11. Do you or anyone in your household spend more than an hour a day
queuing for things in shops?
Yes
No
Q12. IF YES, compared to a year ago, is this
More time
About the same
Less time
Q13. Which of these things on this card is the most important for the
standard of living of you and your family?
Growing own food
Repairing house
What we get as favours
What we get with help of friends, relatives
Buying goods with foreign currency
Earnings: second job
Incidental earnings
Earnings: regular job
Pension, unemployment benefit
Benefits at place of work, such as holidays, meals
Don't know
Q14. Which of these things on this card is the second most important
for
the standard of living of you and your family?
Growing own food
Repairing house
What we get as favours
What we get with help of friends, relatives
Buying goods with foreign currency
Earnings: second job
Incidental earnings
Earnings: regular job
Pension, unemployment benefit
Benefits at place of work, such as holidays, meals
Don't know
Q15. In the past year, has your family:
Saved money
Just got by
Spent some savings
Borrowed money
Spent savings and borrowed money
Q. Sometimes people have to do without things that people usually have.
In
the past year has your household sometimes had to do without any of
the
following:
16. Food
Often
Sometimes
Not infrequently
Rarely
Never
17. Heating, electricity
Often
Sometimes
Not infrequently
Rarely
Never
18. Petrol for car
Often
Sometimes
Not infrequently
Rarely
No car
19. Clothes you really needed
Often
Sometimes
Not infrequently
Rarely
Never
20. Medical treatment
Often
Sometimes
Not infrequently
Rarely
Never
Q21. How long will it be before you have reached a standard of living
with
which you are content?
1-2 years
3-5 years
6-10 years
More than 10 years
Never
Can't say
Already content
Q. Here is a scale ranking how the economy works: the top, plus 100,
is the
best; the bottom, minus 100, the worst. (SHOW CARD)
22. Where on this scale would you put the socialist economy before the
revolution of 1989?
23. Where on this scale would you put our present economic system?
24. Where would you put our economic system in five years time?
Q25. All in all how do you rate the economic situation of your family
today?
Very satisfactory
Fairly satisfactory
Not very satisfactory
Very unsatisfactory
Q26. When you compare your overall household economic situation with
five
years ago, would you say that in the past it was:
Much better then
A little better then
About the same
A little worse then
A lot worse then
Q27. What do you think the economic situation of your household will
be in
five years time?
Much better
A little better
About the same
A little worse
A lot worse
II POLITICAL QUESTIONS
Q. On this card you will find a series of contrasting statements. For
each,
please choose one and say whether you definitely or somewhat agree with
it.
28. It will take years for government to deal with the problems inherited
from the Communists;
OR
If our system can't produce results soon, that's a good reason to try
some
other system of government
29. Maintaining peace and order in our society is most important;
OR
Personal freedom, the right to do whatever you like without the state
interfering, is most important
30. Rising prices are the biggest threat to my family;
OR
Unemployment is the biggest threat for my family
31. Our country should develop like Western countries;
OR
Our country should develop in keeping with our national traditions and
values
Q) Here is a scale for ranking how government works. The top, plus 100,
is
the best; the bottom, minus 100, the worst (SHOW CARD)
32. Where on this scale would you put the former communist regime?
33. Where on this scale would you put our present system of governing
with
free elections and many parties?
34. Where on this scale would you put our system of governing in five
years
time?
Q. Please think of the difference between the old system of government
under the Communists and our present democratic system. I will read
out a
series of statements on this card. Please tell me for each point whether
you think our present political system, by comparison with the Communist
is:
Much better, somewhat better, equal, somewhat worse, much worse?
35. Everybody is free to say what he or she thinks:
36. People can join any organisation they want:
37. People can travel and live wherever they want:
38. Ordinary people can influence what government does:
39. People can live without fear of unlawful arrest:
40. Each person can decide whether or not to take an interest in politics:
41. Everybody is treated equally and fairly by the government:
42. Everybody is free to decide whether or not to practice a religion:
Q) Our present system of government is not the only one that this country
has had. Some people say that we would be better off if the country
was
governed differently. What do you think? Do you:
Strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree or strongly disagree?
43. We should return to Communist rule:
44. The army should govern the country:
45. Best to get rid of Parliament and elections and have a strong leader
who can quickly decide things:
46. The most important decisions about the economy should be made by
experts and not the government and Parliament:
47. A return to a monarchy would be better:
Q There are many different institutions in this country, for example,
government, courts, police, civil servants. Please show me on this 7-point
scale, where 1 represents no trust and 7 great trust, how great is your
personal trust in each of these institutions
48. Parties
49. Courts
50. Police
51. Civil servants
52. Government
53. Military
54. Media, such as television and press
55. Parliament
56. Churches
57a. Old trade unions
57b. New independent trade unions
58. President of this country
59. Patriotic societies
60. Private enterprises
61. Farmers organisations
62. Foreign organisations and experts advising our government
Q. Do you think any of these countries posses a big threat, some threat,
a
little threat or no threat to peace and security in this society?
Big threat, Somewhat, Not much, Not at all
(NB: Questions 63-68 not asked in all countries, with variations according
to national boundaries)
63. Russia
64a. Austria
64b. Bosnia-Herzegovina
64c. Greece
64d. Hungary
64e. Italy
65a. Macedonia
65b. Poland
65c. Romania
65d. Serbia
65e. Slovenia
65f. Turkey
65g. Ukraine
66. Germany
67. USA
68. Japan
69. Ethnic groups, minorities in our country
70. Immigrants, refugees from other societies
Q71. 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?
Very likely
Maybe
Not very likely
Not at all likely
Q72. If Parliament was suspended and parties abolished, would you approve
or disapprove
Approve
Disapprove
Q73. To which religious group do you belong?
Roman Catholic
Uniate Catholic
Protestant
Orthodox
Jewish
Muslim
Other
Not a believer
Refused
Q74. How often do you attend religious services?
Nearly every week
About one a month
A few times a year
Rarely
Never
Q75. Do you feel close to one political party movement or not?(2)
Yes
No
Don't know
Refused
Q76. IF YES, how close do you feel to this party?
Very close
Somewhat close
Not very close
National survey results contain detailed results of party identified
with; party preference at election held on Sunday; and, for Bulgaria,
Romania, Slovenia, Croatia and Belarus, the parties respondent would
never
vote for.
Q77. Were you yourself or another family member formerly a member of
the
Communist Party or one of the organisations associated with it?
Yes, self
Yes, other member of family
No
Q80. As you might know, twelve states of Western Europe together form
the
European Community. Would you say that your impressions of the aims
and
activities of the European Community are generally:
Positive
Neutral
Negative
Q81. If our country were to join the European Community in the future,
would you feel strongly in favour, somewhat in favour, somewhat opposed
or
strongly opposed?
Strongly in favour
Somewhat in favour
Somewhat opposed
Strongly opposed
DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONS
S 1. Gender
Male/ Female/
S 2. Marital status:
Single/ Married / Separated, divorced/ Widow-Widower
S 3. Age in years
S4A. 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.
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
S9A Cable TV
S9B Satellite 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.