Study title

The Politbarometer has been conducted since 1977 on an almost monthly basis by the Forschungsgruppe Wahlen on behalf of the Second German Television (ZDF). Since 1990, this database has also been available for the new German states. The survey focuses on the opinions and attitudes of the voting-age population in the Federal Republic on current political issues, parties, politicians, and voting behavior. From 1990 to 1995 and from 1999 onward, the Politbarometer surveys were conducted separately both in the newly formed eastern and in the western German states (Politbarometer East and Politbarometer West). The separate monthly surveys of a year are integrated into a cumulative data set that includes all surveys of a year and all variables of the respective year. Starting in 2003, the Politbarometer short surveys, collected with varying frequency throughout the year, are integrated into the annual cumulation.Party preference (Sunday question and rank order procedure); behavior at the polls in the Federal Parliament election 1976; sympathy scale for the parties, coalition, opposition and selected federal politicians; size of household; employment; union membership; religiousness; party inclination and party identification; occupational groups represented in the residential area. Beyond this part common for all survey months of 1979 the following questions were also posed in at least one further survey month: judgement on current and future economic situation in the country; judgement on one´s own current and future economic situation; right persons in leading positions; satisfaction with democracy as well as satisfaction with political parties and the political system; personal change in party voted for; necessity of founding a new party for better representation of one´s own interests; satisfaction with the year 1978; preference for more income, more leisure time, shorter working hours or longer vacation; attitude to the right to strike and to lock-out; preference...