1171 1 Yes
0350 2 No
V002 Presidential Vote (1082)
Whom did you vote for in the presidential election? (Nonvoters are
recorded as NA.)
591 1 Clinton
445 2 Dole
085 3 Perot
401 9 NA
V003 Presidential Vote in 1992 (204)
Whom did you vote for in the 1992 presidential election? (Nonvoters
are recorded as NA.)
437 1 Bush
509 2 Clinton
207 3 Perot
369 9 NA
V004 House Vote (1089)
Whom did you vote for in the elections for the House of Representatives?
(Responses are categorized by the party of the candidate. Nonvoters are
recorded as NA.)
485 1 Democrat
541 2 Republican
494 9 NA
V005 Type of House Race (97)
Classification of the type of race for the House of Representatives
in the respondent's congressional district. Districts were classified as
to whether: (a) a Democratic incumbent was running for re-election; (b)
no incumbent was running for re-election; or (c) a Republican incumbent
was running for reelection.
582 1Democratic incumbent
148 2 Open seat
790 3 Republican incumbent
001 9 NA
V006 Senate Vote (1093)
Whom did you vote for in the U. S. Senate race? (Responses are categorized
by the party of the candidate. All nonvoters, including those who lived
in a state that did not have a Senate election in 1996, are recorded as
NA.)
303 1 Democrat
298 2 Republican
920 9 NA
V007 Type of Senate Race (98)
Classification of the type of race for the U. S. Senate in the respondent's
state. States were classified as to whether: (a) a Democratic incumbent
was running for re-election; (b) no incumbent was running for re-election;
or (c) a Republican incumbent was running for reelection. (Respondents
living in states that did not have a Senate election are classified as
NA.)
198 1 Democratic incumbent
318 2 Open seat
342 3 Republican incumbent
664 9 NA
V008 Party Identification (420)
Generally speaking, do you think of yourself as a Republican, a Democrat,
an independent, or what? If Democrat or Republican, would you call yourself
a strong or a weak Democrat or Republican? If independent, are you closer
to the Republican Party or the Democratic Party?
283 1 Strong Democrat
300 2 Weak Democrat
197 3 Independent Democrat
120 4 Independent
168 5 Independent Republican
238 6 Weak Republican
202 7 Strong Republican
014 9 NA
419 1 Very much
076 2 Somewhat
342 3 Not much
V010 Concern Over House Election (256)
How much would you say that you personally care about the way the election
to the U.S. House of Representatives comes out?
435 1 Very much
547 2 Somewhat
536 3 Not much
003 9 NA
V011 Days Discussed Politics Last Week (1004, 1005)
How many days in the past week did you talk about politics with family
or friends?
549 1 None
477 2 1-2 days
325 3 3-5 days
168 4 6-7 days
002 9 NA
V012 Campaign Activity (1165, 1166, 1167, 1168)
Index of respondent's activity in the campaign, built from "yes" answers
to the following questions: Did you talk to any people and try to show
them why they should vote for or against one of the parties or candidates?;
Did you wear a campaign button, put a campaign sticker on your car, or
place a sign in your window or in front of your house?; Did you go to any
political meetings, rallies, speeches, dinners, or things like that in
support of a particular candidate?; and Did you do any (other) work for
one of the parties or candidates?
991 1 No acts
397 2 One act
132 3 Two or more acts
001 9 NA
V013 Campaign Contributions (1169, 1171, 1173)
Index of respondent's financial contribution to the campaign, built
from "yes" answers to the following questions: Did you give any money to
an individual candidate running for public office? Did you give any money
to a political party during this election year? and Did you give money
to any other group that supported or opposed candidates?
1317 1 Did not give
0199 2 Gave money
005 9 NA
V015 Days Watched National TV News Last Week (242)
How many days in the past week did you watch the national news on TV?
316 1 None
346 2 1-2 days
259 3 3-4 days
165 4 5-6 days
434 5 Every day
001 9 NA
V016 Attention to Campaign in National TV News (242, 243)
How much attention did you pay to news on national news shows about
the campaign for President?
558 1 Much
428 2 Some
533 3 Little or none
002 9 NA
V017 Days Watched Local TV News Last Week (244)
How many days in the past week did you watch the local TV news?
219 1 None
246 2 1-2 days
311 3 3-4 days
258 4 5-6 days
485 5 Every day
00 2 9 NA
V018 Attention to Campaign in Local TV News (244, 245)
How much attention did you pay to news on local news shows about the
campaign for President?
445 1 Much
520 2 Some
555 3 Little or none
00 2 9 NA
V019 Days Read Newspaper Last Week (246)
How many days in the past week did you read a daily newspaper?
360 1 None
344 2 1-2 days
333 3 3-6 days
485 4 Every day
V020 Attention to Campaign in Newspaper (246, 248)
How much attention did you pay to newspaper articles about the campaign
for President?
265 1 Much
325 2 Some
931 3 Little or none
V021 Read About Campaign in Magazines? (1333)
Did you read about the campaign in any magazines?
536 1 Yes
980 2 No
005 9 NA
V022 Attention Paid to Campaign News in Magazines (1333, 1334)
How much attention did you pay to magazine articles about the campaign
for President
0146 1 Much
0254 2 Some
1116 3 Little or none
0005 9 NA
V023 Number of Radio Programs Listened to Last Week (1155, 1157)
How many speeches or discussions about the campaign on the radio would
you say you listened to?
115 1 Many
225 2 Several
284 3 Few
893 4 None
005 9 NA
V0024 Attention Paid to Talk Radio (1155, 1157)
How much attention do you pay to political talk radio programs in which
people call in to voice their opinions about politics?
131 1 Very close attention
252 2 Fairly close attention
209 3 Occasional or little attention
928 4 No attention
002 9 NA
V025 Watched Presidential Debates? (1329, 1331)
Did you watch the first televised presidential debate held on October
6, 1996 between Bill Clinton and Bob Dole? Did you watch the second televised
presidential debate held on October 16, 1996 between Bill Clinton and Bob
Dole?
530 1 No debates
419 2 One debate
559 3 Both debates
013 9 NA
V026 Trust Media to be Fair? (1339)
How much of the time do you think you can trust the media to report
the news fairly?
553 1 Most of time
801 2 Some of time
158 3 Almost never
009 9 NA
V028 Clinton Inspiring? (425)
How well does the phrase "he is inspiring" describe Bill Clinton?
774 1 Extremely or quite well
731 2 Not well
016 9 NA
V029 Clinton Strong Leader? (426)
How well does the phrase "he provides strong leadership" describe Bill
Clinton?
895 1 Extremely or quite well
615 2 Not well
012 9 NA
V030 Clinton Cares? (427)
How well does the phrase "he really cares about people like you" describe
Bill Clinton?
853 1 Extremely or quite well
650 2 Not well
019 9 NA
V031 Clinton Honest? (429)
How well does the phrase "he is honest" describe Bill Clinton?
612 1 Extremely or quite well
887 2 Not well
022 9 NA
V032 Dole Moral? (432)
How well does the phrase "he is moral" describe Bob Dole?
1156 1 Extremely or quite well
0287 2 Not well
079 9 NA
V033 Dole Inspiring? (434)
How well does the phrase "he is inspiring" describe Bob Dole?
557 1 Extremely or quite well
912 2 Not well
079 9 NA
V038 Clinton: Post-election Feeling Thermometer (1019)
On a scale of 0 degrees to 100 degrees, how warm or coot do you feel
towards Bill Clinton (assessed after the election)?
202 1 0-20
221 2 21-40
336 3 41-60
308 4 61-80
448 5 81-100
006 9 NA
V039 Dole: Pre-election Feeling Thermometer (273)
On a scale of 0 degrees to 100 degrees, how warm or cool do you feel
towards Bob Dole (assessed before the election)?
180 1 0-20
336 2 21-40
522 3 41-60
228 4 61-80
229 5 81-100
026 9 NA
V034 Dole Strong Leader? (435)
How well does the phrase "he provides strong leadership" describe Bob
Dole?
875 1 Extremely or quite well
575 2 Not well
071 9 NA
V035 Dole Cares? (436)
How well does the phrase "he really cares about people like you" describe
Bob Dole?
616 1 Extremely or quite well
839 2 Not well
066 9 NA
V036 Dole Honest? (438)
How well does the phrase "he is honest" describe Bob Dole?
1005 1 Extremely or quite well
0434 2 Not well
0082 9 NA
V037 Clinton: Pre-election Feeling Thermometer (272)
On a scale of 0 degrees to 100 degrees, how warm or cool do you feel
towards Bill Clinton (assessed before the election)?
249 1 0-20
178 2 21-40
299 3 41-60
334 4 61-80
454 5 81-100
007 9 NA
V040 Dole: Post-election Feeling Thermometer (1020)
On a scale of 0 degrees to 100 degrees, how warm or cool do you feel
towards Bob Dole (assessed after the election)?
126 1 0-20
327 2 21-40
629 3 41-60
238 4 61-80
186 5 81-100
014 9 NA
V041 Perot: Pre-election Feeling Thermometer (274)
On a scale of 0 degrees to 100 degrees, how warm or cool do you feel
towards Ross Perot (assessed before the election)?
392 1 0-20
297 2 21-40
623 3 41-60
101 4 61-80
065 5 81-100
044 9 NA
V042 Perot: Post-election Feeling Thermometer (1021)
On a scale of 0 degrees to 100 degrees, how warm or cool do you feel
towards Ross Perot (assessed after the election)?
302 1 0-20
343 2 21-40
646 3 41-60
125 4 61-80
076 5 81-100
029 9 NA
V043 Gore: Pre-election Feeling Thermometer (275)
On a scale of 0 degrees to 100 degrees, how warm or cool do you feel
towards Al Gore assessed before the election)?
151 1 0-20
214 2 21-40
484 3 41-60
309 4 61-80
299 5 81-100
065 9 NA
V044 Kemp: Pre-election Feeling Thermometer (276)
On a scale of 0 degrees to 100 degrees, how warm or cool do you feel
towards Jack Kemp (assessed before the election)?
071 1 0-20
186 2 21-40
622 3 41-60
214 4 61-80
205 5 81-100
223 9 NA
V046 Clinton Economic Performance Approval (298)
Do you approve or disapprove of the way that Bill Clinton is handling
the economy?
469 1 Strongly approve
517 2 Approve
229 3 Disapprove
263 4 Strongly disapprove
043 9 NA
V047 Clinton Foreign Policy Approval (300)
Do you approve or disapprove of the way that Bill Clinton is handling
our relations with foreign countries?
454 1 Strongly approve
439 2 Approve
217 3 Disapprove
370 4 Strongly disapprove
042 9 NA
V048 Clinton Environmental Policy Approval (302)
Do you approve or disapprove of the way that Bill Clinton is handling
the environment?
463 1 Strongly approve
560 2 Approve
203 3 Disapprove
177 4 Strongly disapprove
118 9 NA
V049 Clinton Health Care Policy Approval (304)
Do you approve or disapprove of the way that Bill Clinton is handling
health care?
367 1 Strongly approve
399 2 Approve
270 3 Disapprove
437 4 Strongly disapprove
48 9 NA
V050 Approval of Congress (271)
Do you approve or disapprove of the way the that the U.S. Congress
is handling its job?
182 1 Strongly approve
500 2 Approve
324 3 Disapprove
389 4 Strongly disapprove
126 9 NA
V051 Congress Feeling Thermometer (1026)
On a scale of 0 degrees to 100 degrees, how warm or cool do you feel
towards Congress (assessed after the election)?
062 1 0-20
315 2 21-40
677 3 41-60
315 4 61-80
123 5 81-100
029 9 NA
V052 Blame Who for Deficit? (311)
Who do you lthink is more to blame for the federal budget deficit,
the Clinton Administration or the Republican
Congress?
306 1 Clinton
716 2 Republican Congress
257 3 Both
173 4 Neither
069 9 NA
V053 Most Important National Problem (1141)
What do you think is the most important problem facing this country?
(NOTE: This question was only asked of one-half of the full sample).
181 1 Health, social welfare
062 2 Education
099 3 Economy
105 4 Taxes, budget
135 5 Crime, public order
076 6 Moral decay
082 7 Other domestic
032 8 Foreign affairs, defense
746 9 NA
V054 Government Performance on Most Important Problem (1142)
How good a job is the government in Washington doing in dealing with
this problem? (NOTE: This question was asked of only asked of one-half
of the full sample.)
055 1 Good
332 2 Fair
365 3 Poor
769 9 NA
V055 Best Party for Most Important Problem (1143)
Which political party do you think would be most likely to get the government to do a better job in dealing with this problem? (NOTE: This question was asked of only onehalf of the full sample.)
161 1 Republicans
415 2 No difference
179 3 Democrats
765 9 NA
675 1 Better
477 2 Same
364 3 Worse
4 9 NA
V57 Better Off Next Year? (340)
Do you think that a year from now you (and your family living here)
will be better off financially, worse off, or just about the same as now?
533 1 Better
841 2 Same
119 3 Worse
028 9 NA
V058 Future Living Standards (389)
Do you think that twenty years from now, the standard of living for
the people who are just children now will be better, about the same, or
worse than it is today?
415 1 Better
311 2 Same
750 3 Worse
045 9 NA
V059 Effects of Economic Policy (390)
Over the past year would you say that the economic policies of the
federal government have made the nation's economy better, worse, or haven't
they made much difference either way?
364 1Better
854 2 No difference
269 3 Worse
035 9 NA
V060 US Better Off Than Last Year? (385)
Would you say that over the past year the nation's economy has gotten
better, stayed about the same, or gotten worse?
603 1 Better
672 2 Same
236 3 Worse
10 9 NA
V061 US Better Off Next Year? (387)
What about the next 12 months? Do you expect the economy to get better,
get worse or stay about the same?
371 1 Better
924 2 Same
201 3 Worse
025 9 NA
139 1 Liberal
167 2 Slightly liberal
368 3 Moderate
242 4 Slightly conservative
297 5 Conservative
309 9 NA
V063 Clinton: Ideological Scale (369)
Respondent's placement of Bill Clinton on a scale running from "Liberal"
to "Conservative."
584 1 Liberal
341 2 Slightly liberal
292 3 Moderate
108 4 Slightly conservative
115 5 Conservative
081 9 NA
V064 Dole: Ideological Scale (371)
Respondent's placement of Bob Dole on a scale running from "Liberal"
to "Conservative."
093 1 Liberal
085 2 Slightly liberal
197 3 Moderate
287 4 Slightly conservative
735 5 Conservative
124 9 NA
V065 Perot: Ideological Scale (373)
Respondent's placement of Ross Perot on a scale running from "Liberal"
to "Conservative."
198 1 Liberal
106 2 Slightly liberal
292 3 Moderate
222 4 Slightly conservative
418 5 Conservative
285 9 NA
V066 Democrats: Ideological Scale (379)
Respondent's placement of the Democratic Party on a scale running from
"Liberal" to "Conservative."
548 1 Liberal
370 2 Slightly liberal
242 3 Moderate
126 4 Slightly conservative
116 5 Conservative
119 9 NA
V067 Republicans: Ideological Scale (380)
Respondent's placement of the Republican Party on a scale running from
"Liberal" to "Conservative."
087 1 Liberal
086 2 Slightly liberal
195 3 Moderate
341 4 Slightly conservative
685 5 Conservative
127 9 NA
262 1 Many fewer services
260 2
399 3
219 4
181 5 Many more services
201 9 NA
V069 Clinton: Government Services Scale (453)
Respondent's placement of Bill Clinton on a scale running from "Government
should provide many fewer services to reduce spending a lot" to "Government
should provide many more services, even if it means increasing spending."
070 1 Many fewer services
136 2
288 3
424 4
551 5 Many more services
053 9 NA
V070 Dole: Government Services Scale (455)
Respondent's placement of Bob Dole on a scale running from "Government
should provide many fewer services to reduce spending a lot" to "Government
should provide many more services, even if it means increasing spending
a lot."
472 1 Many fewer services
430 2
296 3
149 4
060 5 Many more services
115 9 NA
V071 Increase Taxes to Increase Spending? (1226)
Do you favor increases in the taxes paid by ordinary Americans in order
to increase spending on domestic programs like Medicare, education and
highways?
0429 1 Favor
1064 2 Oppose
0028 9 NA
V072 Increase Taxes to Reduce Deficit? (1228)
Do you favor increases in taxes paid by ordinary Americans in order
to cut the federal budget deficit?
0321 1 Favor
1183 2 Oppose
0017 9 NA
V073 Which Candidate Would Raise Taxes? (309)
Which presidential candidate is more likely to raise taxes?
635 1 Clinton
414 2 Dole
099 3 Perot
354 4 No difference
018 9 NA
V074 Which Candidate Better on Deficit Reduction? (306)
Which presidential candidate would do a better job at reducing the
budget deficit?
437 1 Clinton
386 2 Dole
362 3 Perot
324 4 No difference
013 9 NA
203 1 Guaranteed job
139 2
293 3
284 4
474 5 Individual on own
097 9 NA
V076 Clinton: Guaranteed Job Scale (484)
Respondent' placement of Bill Clinton on a scale running from "Government
should see to it that every person has a job and a good standard of living"
to "Government should let each person get ahead on their own."
459 1 Guaranteed job
382 2
312 3
172 4
098 5 Individual on own
07 9 NA
V077 Dole: Guaranteed Job Scale (485)
Respondent's placement of Bob Dole on a scale running from "Government
should see to it that every person has a job and a good standard of living"
to "Government should let each person get ahead on their own."
050 1 Guaranteed job
099 2
240 3
400 4
583 5 Individual on own
150 9 NA
V078 Health Care Scale (479)
Respondent's self-placement on a scale that runs from "There should
be a government insurance plan which would cover all medical and hospital
expenses for everyone" to "All medical expenses should be paid by individuals
or by private insurance plans."
332 1 Government plan
188 2
280 3
226 4
347 5 Private plans
150 9 NA
V079 Clinton: Health Care Scale (480)
Respondent's placement of Bill Clinton on a scale that runs from "There
should be a government insurance plan which would cover all medical and
hospital expenses for everyone" to "All medical expenses should be paid
by individuals or by private insurance plans."
686 1 Government plan
319 2
209 3
109 4
100 5 Private plans
099 9 NA
V080 Dole: Health Care Scale (481)
Respondent's placement of Bob Dole on a scale that runs from
"There should be a government insurance plan which would cover all medical
and hospital expenses for everyone" to "All medical expenses should be
paid by individuals or by private insurance plans."
050 1 Government plan
095 2
244 3
384 4
548 5 Private plans
201 9 NA
V081 Welfare Limits on Additional Children (1322)
Do you favor or oppose a proposal that a woman on welfare who has another
child not be given an increase in her welfare check?
1018 1 Favor
443 2 Oppose
60 9 NA
V082 Welfare Limited to Two Years (1324)
Do you favor or oppose the proposal to put a two year limit on how
long someone can receive welfare benefits?
1167 1 Favor
320 2 Oppose
34 9 NA
V083 Welfare Spending (497)
Should federal spending on welfare programs be increased, decreased,
or remain the same?
150 1 Increase
467 2 Remain the same
891 3 Decrease
12 9 NA
V084 Social Security Spending (560)
Should federal spending on social security be increased, decreased,
or remain the same?
694 1 Increase
713 2 Remain the same
102 3 Decrease
12 9 NA
V085 Which Candidate Would Cut Social Security? (310)
Which presidential candidate is more likely to cut Social Security
benefits?
269 1 Clinton
686 2 Dole
138 3 Perot
392 4 No difference
36 9 NA
V086 Food Stamps Spending (496)
Should federal spending on food stamps be increased, decreased, or
remain the same?
145 1 Increase
632 2 Remain the same
728 3 Decrease
17 9 NA
V087 Child Care Spending (564)
Should federal spending on child care be increased, decreased, or remain
the same?
760 1 Increase
553 2 Remain the same
187 3 Decrease
21 9 NA
V088 Educational Spending (562)
Should federal spending on education be increased, decreased, or remain
the same?
1019 1 Increase
391 2 Remain the same
102 3 Decrease
9 9 NA
V089 Student Loan Spending (500)
Should federal spending on student loans be increased, decreased, or
remain the same?
812 1 Increase
568 2 Remain the same
127 3 Decrease
15 9 NA
V090 Which Candidate Better on Improving Education? (307)
Which presidential candidate do you think would do a better job of
improving public education?
746 1 Clinton
316 2 Dole
99 3 Perot
342 4 No difference
19 9 NA
197 1 Greatly decrease spending
227 2
433 3
282 4
195 5 Greatly increase spending
187 9 NA
V092 Clinton: Defense Spending Scale (466)
Respondent's placement of Bill Clinton on a scale running from "We
should spend much less on defense" to "We should greatly increase defense
spending."
243 1 Greatly decrease spending
322 2
374 3
271 4
203 5 Greatly increase spending
108 9 NA
V093 Dole: Defense Spending Scale (469)
Respondent's placement of Bob Dole on a scale running from "We should
spend much less on defense" to "We should greatly increase defense spending."
81 1 Greatly decrease spending
143 2
274 3
490 4
333 5 Greatly increase spending
199 9 NA
V094 Foreign Aid Spending (499)
Should federal spending on foreign aid be increased, decreased, or
remain the same?
76 1 Increase
510 2 Remain the same
911 3 Decrease
24 9 NA
175 1 Never permitted
433 2 For rape, incest
242 3 If clear need
642 4 Always permitted
28 9 NA
V096 Clinton: Abortion Scale (506)
Respondent's placement of Bill Clinton on the abortion scale.
58 1 Never permitted
224 2 For rape, incest
296 3 If clear need
800 4 Always permitted
144 9 NA
V097 Dole: Abortion Scale (509)
Respondent's placement of Bob Dole on the abortion scale.
236 1 Never permitted
666 2 For rape, incest
257 3 If clear need
119 4 Always permitted
243 9 NA
V098 School Prayer (1214)
Respondent's agreement with one of the following statements on prayer
in school: (1) By law, prayers should not be allowed in public schools;
(2) The law should allow public schools to schedule time when children
can pray silently if they want to; (3) The law should allow public schools
to schedule time when children, as a group, can say a general prayer not
tied to a particular religious faith; or (4) By law, public schools should
schedule time when all children would say a chosen Christian prayer.
186 1 Not allowed
853 2 Silent prayer
312 3 Nondenominational prayer
135 4 Christian prayer
34 9 NA
V099 Immigration Policy (1325)
Do you think the number of immigrants from foreign countries who are
permitted to come to the United States to live should be increased, left
the same as it is now, or decreased?
81 1 Increase
550 2 Stay the same
455 3 Decrease some
404 4 Decrease a lot
30 9 NA
V100 Lifestyle Tolerance Index (1247, 1248, 1249, 1250)
Index of respondent's tolerance to alternative lifestyles built from
agreement or disagreement with the following statements:
The world is always changing and we should adjust our view of moral
behavior to those changes; We should be more tolerant of people who choose
to live according to their own moral standards even if they are very different
from our own; This country would have many fewer problems if there were
more emphasis on traditional family ties; and The newer lifestyles are
contributing to the breakdown of our society. NOTE: Scores on this index
are relative; individuals classified as "high.... (or "low") are simply
higher (lower) than others, not high (low) in an absolute sense.
286 1 Low tolerance
307 2
235 3
320 4
196 5 High tolerance
177 9 NA
V101 Crime Control Spending (563)
Should federal spending on dealing with crime be increased, decreased,
or remain the same?
1044 1 Increase
396 2 Remain the same
73 3 Decrease
8 9 NA
V102 Crime Policy Scale (519)
Respondent's self-placement on a scale running from "The best way to
reduce crime is to address the social problems that cause crime, like bad
schools, poverty and joblessness" to "The best way to reduce crime is to
make sure that criminals are caught, convicted and punished."
286 1 Address social problems
137 2
324 3
184 4
521 5 Vigorously enforce laws
69 9 NA
V103 Clinton: Crime Policy Scale (520)
Respondent's placement of Bill Clinton on a scale running from "The
best way to reduce crime is to address the social problems that cause crime,
like bad schools, poverty and joblessness" to "The best way to reduce crime
is to make sure that criminals are caught, convicted and punished."
389 1 Address social problems
341 2
297 3
186 4
206 5 Vigorously enforce laws
103 9 NA
V104 Dole: Crime Policy Scale (521)
Respondent's placement of Bob Dole on a scale running from "The best
way to reduce crime is to address the social problems that cause crime,
like bad schools, poverty and joblessness" to "The best way to reduce crime
is to make sure that criminals are caught, convicted and punished."
61 1 Address social problems
82 2
267 3
349 4
594 5 Vigorously enforce laws
167 9 NA
V105 Handgun Control (1217)
Do you favor or oppose a ban on the sale of all handguns, except those
that are issued to law enforcement officers?
691 1 Favor
813 2 Oppose
17 9 NA
V106 Death Penalty (1198)
Do you favor or oppose the death penalty for persons convicted of murder?
1161 1 Favor
312 2 Oppose
48 9 NA
V107 Environmental Spending (561)
Should federal spending on the environment be increased, decreased,
or remain the same?
610 1 Increase
767 2 Remain the same
134 3 Decrease
11 9 NA
V108 Environmental Policy Scale (523)
Respondent's self-placement on a scale running from "It is important
to protect the environment even if it costs some jobs or otherwise reduces
our standard of living" to "Protecting the environment is not as important
as maintaining jobs and our standard of living."
370 1 Environment more important
273 2
372 3
179 4
141 5 Jobs more important
187 9 NA
V109 Clinton: Environmental Policy Scale (526)
Respondent's placement of Bill Clinton on a scale running from "It
is important to protect the environment even if it costs some jobs or otherwise
reduces our standard of living" to "Protecting the environment is not as
important as maintaining jobs and our standard of living."
374 1 Environment more important
383 2
368 3
153 4
118 5 Jobs more important
124 9 NA
V110 Dole: Environmental Policy Scale (529)
Respondent's placement of Bob Dole on a scale running from "It is important
to protect the environment even if it costs some jobs or otherwise reduces
our standard of living" to "Protecting the environment is not as important
as maintaining jobs and our standard of living."
73 1 Environment more important
151 2
405 3
383 4
305 5 Jobs more important
205 9 NA
V111 Which Candidate Better on Protecting Environment? (305)
Which presidential candidate do you think would do a better job of
protecting the environment?
733 1 Clinton
215 2 Dole
52 3 Perot
488 4 No difference
33 9 NA
V112 Which Candidate Better on Campaign Reform? (308)
Which presidential candidate would do a better job of reducing the
power of special interests in political campaigns?
277 1 Clinton
226 2 Dole
426 3 Perot
560 4 No difference
32 9 NA
V113 Congressional Term Limits (412)
Do you favor or oppose a law that would limit the members of Congress
to no more than 12 consecutive years of service in that office?
1187 1 Favor
289 2 Oppose
45 9 NA
112 1 Government should help
136 2
320 3
278 4
550 5 Blacks should help themselves
126 9 NA
V115 Clinton: Minority Aid Scale (490)
Respondent's placement of Bill Clinton on a scale running from "Government
should make every effort to improve the social and economic position of
blacks" to "Government should not make any special effort to help blacks
because they should help themselves."
417 1 Government should help
383 2
336 3
164 4
83 5 Blacks should help themselves
139 9 NA
V116 Dole: Minority Aid Scale (492)
Respondent's placement of Bob Dole on a scale running from "Government
should make every effort to improve the social and economic position of
blacks" to "Government should not make any special effort to help blacks
because they should help themselves."
45 1 Government should help
77 2
332 3
372 4
491 5 Blacks should help themselves
205 9 NA
V117 Women's Role Scale (543)
Respondent's self-placement on a scale running from "Women should have
an equal role with men in running business, industry, and government" to
"Women's place is in the home."
1017 1 Equal role
129 2
163 3
58 4
95 5 Traditional role
59 9 NA
V118 Clinton: Women's Role Scale (544)
Respondent's placement of Bill Clinton on a scale running from "Women
should have an equal role with men in running business, industry, and government"
to "Women's place is in the home."
976 1 Equal role
248 2
137 3
38 4
35 5 Traditional role
88 9 NA
V119 Dole: Women's Role Scale (545)
Respondent's placement of Bob Dole on a scale running from "Women should
have an equal role with men in running business, industry, and government"
to "Women's place is in the home."
441 1 Equal role
286 2
356 3
169 4
139 5 Traditional role
129 9 NA
V120 Affirmative Action (1209)
Do you favor or oppose giving blacks preference in hiring and promotion
because of past discrimination?
245 1 Favor
1161 2 Oppose
115 9 NA
V121 Gay Employment Rights (1194)
Do you favor or oppose laws to protect homosexuals against job discrimination?
920 1 Favor
521 2 Oppose
81 9 NA
V122 Gays in Military (1196)
Do you think homosexuals should be allowed to serve in the United States
Armed Forces or don't you think so?
1024 1 Favor
448 2 Oppose
49 9 NA
V123 Income Inequality Scale (1320)
Respondent's self-placement on a scale running from "The government
in Washington ought to reduce income differences between the rich and the
poor" to "The government should not concern itself with reducing income
differences between the rich and the poor."
230 1 Reduce differences
173 2
235 3
159 4
387 5 Should not be concerned
338 9 NA
V124 Equality Index (1229, 1231, 1232, 1233, 1234)
Index of respondent's commitment to equality built from agreement or
disagreement with the following statements: Our society should do whatever
necessary to make sure that everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed;
This country would be better off if we worried less about how equal people
are; It is not really that big a problem if some people have more of a
chance in life than others; If people were treated more equally in this
country we would have many fewer problems; and One of the big problems
in this country is we don't give everyone an equal chance. NOTE: Scores
on this index are relative; individuals classified as "high" (or "low")
are simply higher (lower) than others not high (low) in an absolute sense.
312 1 High emphasis
358 2
306 3
293 4
249 5 Low emphasis
4 9 NA
322 1 0-20
209 2 21-40
374 3 41-60
280 4 61-80
316 5 81-100
21 9 NA
V126 Pat Buchanan: Feeling Thermometer (282)
On a scale of 0 degrees to 100 degrees, how warm or cool do you feel
towards Pat Buchanan (assessed before the election)?
241 1 0-20
332 2 21-40
613 3 41-60
130 4 61-80
68 5 81-100
137 9 NA
V127 Newt Gingrich: Feeling Thermometer (284)
On a scale of 0 degrees to 100 degrees, how warm or cool do you feel
towards Newt Gingrich (assessed before the election)?
402 1 0-20
330 2 21-40
402 3 41-60
126 4 61-80
103 5 81-100
158 9 NA
V128 Colin Powell: Feeling Thermometer (285)
On a scale of 0 degrees to 100 degrees, how warm or cool do you feel
towards Colin Powell (assessed before the election)?
25 1 0-20
64 2 21-40
422 3 41-60
381 4 61-80
514 5 81-100
115 9 NA
V129 Democrats: Feeling Thermometer (292)
On a scale of 0 degrees to 100 degrees, how warm or cool do you feel
towards the Democratic Party (assessed before the election)?
139 1 0-20
291 2 21-40
457 3 41-60
281 4 61-80
333 5 81-100
20 9 NA
V130 Republicans: Feeling Thermometer (293)
On a scale of 0 degrees to 100 degrees, how warm or cool do you feel
towards the Republican Party (assessed before the election)?
164 1 0-20
311 2 21-40
534 3 41-60
266 4 61-80
220 5 81-100
26 9 NA
V131 Political Parties: Feeling Thermometer (294)
On a scale of 0 degrees to 100 degrees, how warm or cool do you feel
towards political parties (assessed before the election)?
120 1 0-20
324 2 21-40
704 3 41-60
223 4 61-80
107 5 81-100
42 9 NA
406 1 Low emphasis
232 2
309 3
528 4 High emphasis
46 9 NA
V133 Most Faith in Which Government Level? (1203)
Do you have more faith and confidence in the national government, the
government of this state, or in the local government around here?
25 1 National
542 2 State
482 3 Local
72 9 NA
V134 Least Faith in Which Government Level? (1204)
Which level of government do you have the least faith and confidence
in: the national government, the government of this state, or the local
government around here?
691 1 National
263 2 State
482 3 Local
86 9 NA
V135 Public Officials Do Not Care? (1244)
Do you agree or disagree with the statement, "I don't think public
officials care much what people like me think?"
922 1 Agree
212 2 Neutral
381 3 Disagree
7 9 NA
V136 People Have No Say? (1245)
Do you agree or disagree with the statement, "People like me don't
have any say about what the government does?"
663 1 Agree
151 2 Neutral
702 3 Disagree
5 9 NA
V137 Politics Too Complicated? (1246)
Do you agree or disagree with the statement, "Sometimes politics and
government seem so complicated that a person like me can't really understand
what's going on?"
910 1 Agree
143 2 Neutral
464 3 Disagree
5 9 NA
V138 Political Efficacy Index (1244, 1245, 1246)
Index of respondent's feelings of political efficacy built from agreement
or disagreement to statements in V135, V136, and V137.
405 1 Low
465 2
430 3
213 4 High
8 9 NA
V139 Trust Government to Do Right? (1251)
How much of the time do you think you can trust the government in Washington
to do what is right?
487 1 Most of the time
1025 2 Some or none of the time
9 9 NA
V140 How Much Tax Waste? (1252)
Do you think that people in government waste a lot of the money we
pay in taxes, waste some of it, or don't waste very much of it?
606 1 Some
908 2 Great deal
8 9 NA
V141 Government Run by Few Big Interests? (1253)
Would you say the government is pretty much run by a few big interests
looking out for themselves or that it is run for the benefit of all the
people?
413 1 For all
1047 2 For few
62 9 NA
V142 Government Officials Crooked? (1254)
Do you think that quite a few of the people running the government
are crooked or that not very many of them are?
862 1 Not many
643 2 Quite a few
17 9 NA
V143 Trust in Government Index (1251, 12152, 1253, 1254)
Index of respondent's trust in government built from answers to statements
in V139, V140, V141, and V142.
366 1 High
308 2
399 3
375 4 Low
74 9 NA
V144 Favor Two Party System? (1340)
Which of the following would you prefer to see?: (1) A continuation
of the two party system of Democrats and Republicans; (2) Elections in
which candidates run as individuals without party labels; or (3)The growth
of one or more parties that could effectively challenge the Democrats and
Republicans?
609 1 Keep two parties
472 2 Nonpartisan system
414 3 New parties
26 9 NA
725 1 Male
797 2 Female
V146 Race (67, 708)
Respondent's race or ethnicity.
1201 1 White
144 2 Black
129 3 Hispanic
43 4 Other
5 9 NA
V147 Age (605)
Respondent's age.
100 1 18-24
318 2 25-34
413 3 35-44
234 4 45-54
187 5 55-64
269 6 65 and older
2 9 NA
V148 Marital Status (606)
Respondent's marital status.
954 1 Married
256 2 Single
177 3 Divorced/separated
120 4 Widowed
14 9 NA
V149 Education (610)
What is the highest grade of school you have completed?
183 1 Less than HS
458 2 HS graduate
283 3 Some college/No degree
140 4 Some college/AA degree
293 5 College degree
161 6 Advanced degree
3 9 NA
V150 Employment Status (616)
Are you employed, looking for work, retired, or what?
1017 1 Employed
47 2 Unemployed
298 3 Retired/disabled
116 4 Homemaker
43 5 Student
V151 Occupation (676)
What is your primary occupation? (Retired, disabled, and unemployed
individuals are classified according to their previous employment.)
497 1 Professional/managerial
387 2 Technical/sales/clerical
305 3 Skilled manual
176 4 Unskilled manual
23 5 Farm
135 9 NA
V152 Income (701)
What was the total income of your family last year?
140 1 Less than $10,000
105 2 $10,000 to $15,000
187 3 $15,000 to $25,000
219 4 $25,000 to $35,000
247 5 $35,000 to $50,000
280 6 $50,000 to $75,000
216 7 $75,000 and over
128 9 NA
V153 Both Parents Born in the US? (707)
Were both your parents born in this country?
1281 1 Yes
236 2 No
5 9 NA
V154 Religious Affiliation (602)
What is your religious preference? (Note: Mainline Protestants include
Episcopalians, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, and other smaller
sects; Evangelical Protestants include Baptists, Pentecostal churches,
and other smaller churches; Catholic includes Roman Catholics and Eastern
Orthodox churches; Other includes mostly Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses,
Christian Scientists, and Muslims.)
374 1 Mainline Protestant
440 2 Evangelical Protestant
415 3 Catholic
31 4 Jewish
55 5 Other
188 6 None
17 9 NA
V155 Church Attendance (576, 578)
How often do you go to religious services?
390 1 Every week
422 2 Several times a month
272 3 Few times a year
430 4 Never
7 9 NA
V156 Importance of Religion (571, 572, 573)
Index of importance of religion to the respondent built from the following
questions: Do you consider religion to be an important part of your life,
or not? How much guidance would you say religion plays in your day-today
living? and Outside of attending religious services, how often do you pray
each week?
196 1 Low
551 2
434 3
304 4 High
36 9 NA
V157 Interpretation of Bible (575)
Which of these statements comes closest to describing your feelings
about the Bible?
515 1 Actual word of God
752 2 Word but not literal
221 3 Not word of God
33 9 NA
V158 Born Again Christian? (601)
Would you call yourself a born-again Christian; that is, have you personally
had a conversion experience related to Jesus Christ?
475 1 Yes
789 2 No
257 9 NA
V159 Region (109)
Region of the country that the respondent lives in.
325 1 Northeast
377 2 Midwest
498 3 South
321 4 West
V160 Size of Community (118)
Size of community the respondent lives in. (Note: Large urban areas
are the 21 largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas, and medium urban areas
are all other MSAs. Respondents not living in an MSA are classified as
living in a town or rural area.)
501 1 Large urban area
537 2 Medium urban area
482 3 Town or rural area
V161 Type of Community (118)
Type of community the respondent lives in. (Note: Central cities are
defined as the central cities of Metropolitan statistical areas. Suburban
areas are defined as the remaining portions of the MSAs. Respondents not
living in an MSA are classified as living in a town or rural area.)
382 1 Central city
657 2 Suburban area
482 3 Town or rural area
The thermometer items below are expressed in actual degrees, running from 0 degrees to 100 degrees (missing data are coded as 999). The media variables are expressed in number of days per week of exposure (missing data are coded as 9). Age is expressed in years (missing data are coded as 99). Population of the community is expressed in 1000s.
V201 Clinton: Pre-election Feeling Thermometer (272)
On a scale of 0 degrees to 100 degrees, how warm or cool do you feel
towards Bill Clinton (assessed before the election)?
V202 Clinton: Post-election Feeling Thermometer (1019)
On a scale of 0 degrees to 100 degrees, how warm or cool do you feel
towards Bill Clinton (assessed after the election)?
V203 Dole: Pre-election Feeling Thermometer (273)
On a scale of 0 degrees to 100 degrees, how warm or cool do you feel
towards Bob Dole (assessed before the election)?
V204 Dole: Post-election Feeling Thermometer (1020)
On a scale of 0 degrees to 100 degrees, how warm or cool do you feel
towards Bob Dole (assessed after the election)?
V205 Perot: Pre-election Feeling Thermometer (274)
On a scale of 0 degrees to 100 degrees, how warm or coot do you feel
towards Ross Perot (assessed before the election)?
V206 Perot: Post-election Feeling Thermometer (1021)
On a scale of 0 degrees to 100 degrees, how warm or cool do you feel
towards Bob Dole (assessed after the election)?
V207 Gore: Pre-election Feeling Thermometer (275)
On a scale of 0 degrees to 100 degrees, how warm or cool do you feel
towards Al Gore (assessed before the election)?
V208 Kemp: Pre-election Feeling Thermometer (276)
On a scale of 0 degrees to 100 degrees, how warm or cool do you feel
towards Jack Kemp (assessed before the election)?
V209 Hillary Clinton: Feeling Thermometer (281)
On a scale of 0 degrees to 100 degrees, how warm or cool do you feel
towards Hillary Clinton (assessed before the election)?
V210 Buchanan: Feeling Thermometer (282)
On a scale of 0 degrees to 100 degrees, how warm or cool do you feel
towards PatBuchanan (assessed before the election)?
V211 Gingrich: Feeling Thermometer (284)
On a scale of 0 degrees to 100 degrees, how warm or cool do you feel
towards Newt Gingrich (assessed before the election)?
V212 Powell: Feeling Thermometer (285)
On a scale of 0 degrees to 100 degrees, how warm or cool do you feel
towards Colin Powell (assessed before the election)?
V213 Democrats: Feeling Thermometer (292)
On a scale of 0 degrees to 100 degrees, how warm or cool do you feel
towards the Democratic Party (assessed before the election)?
V214 Republicans: Feeling Thermometer (293)
On a scale of 0 degrees to 100 degrees, how warm or cool do you feel
towards the Republican Party (assessed before the election)?
V215 Political Parties: Feeling Thermometer (294)
On a scale of 0 degrees to 100 degrees, how warm or cool do you feel
towards political parties (assessed before the election)?
V216 Days Watched National TV News Last Week (242)
How many days in the past week did you watch the national news on TV?
V217 Days Watched Local TV News Last Week (244)
How many days in the past week did you watch local news on TV?
V218 Days Read Newspaper Last Week (246)
How many days in the past week did you read a daily newspaper?
V219 Age in Years (605)
Respondent's age.
V220 Population of Community in 1000s (119)
Population of community in which respondent lives.