Dutch Parliamentary Election Study, 1998

Résumé 0

This survey focuses on the Netherlands Second Chamber parliamentary election of May 6, 1998. Part 1, Main Study, contains data from the first wave of interviews conducted before the election (March 30-May 5, 1998) and after the election (May 11-July 4, 1998), and a self-completion questionnaire given to respondents at the end of the second wave. Topics addressed during Wave 1 included: the respondent's interest in politics, the most important problems facing the nation, government policy satisfaction, attitudes toward voting, perception of public opinion poll results, political issues such as euthanasia, income differences, asylum seekers, European unification, ethnic minorities, and European Union (EU) membership, sympathy shown by political parties and politicians, political knowledge of leaders and coalitions, social and political goals, and the presence of a cultural community. Topics covered during Wave 2 included respondent's interest level in the campaign, electoral behavior, coalition preference, views on the importance of issues including nuclear plants, traffic, financial deficit, crime, health care, and the environment, satisfaction with democracy in the Netherlands, attention paid to regional differences, faith in prospective premiers, external and internal political efficacy, political cynicism, social isolation, acceptance of political decisions, civic competence and political participation, and social class images. Items in the self-completion questionnaire focused on trust in political institutions, including the police, parliament, and judges, media consumption, whether the respondent had been approached by a political party, whether he/she had tried to convince others to vote, and the demographic characteristics of those with whom the respondent discussed matters of importance. Background information on Part 1 respondents includes age, sex, political party, political orientation, electoral participation history, marital status, employment status, household income, religion, education, household composition, and demographic characteristics of parents and household members. Part 2, Nonresponse Study, Stimulus-Effect Study, and Corresponding Parts of Main Study, contains data from interviews conducted with respondents unwilling to participate in the Dutch Parliamentary Election Study (Nonresponse Study) and data from face-to-face or telephone interviews conducted with a random sample of respondents (Stimulus-Effect Study). Topics addressed in these studies concerned neighborhood characteristics, including degree of urbanization, income level, social class, and education, interest in politics, and voting intention. Background information on Part 2 respondents includes age, sex, electoral participation history, and household composition.