British Election Study: February 1974, Cross-Section

Résumé 0

This data collection is part of a continuing series of surveys of the British electorate, begun by David Butler and Donald Stokes at Nuffield College, Oxford, in 1963, and continued at the University of Essex. This cross-section study was designed to yield a representative sample of eligible voters in Great Britain near the time of the general election on February 28, 1974. As with other surveys in the series, electors in Northern Ireland and the Scottish Highlands and Islands were excluded from the sampling frame. Personal interviews with 2,462 members of the British electorate took place in two waves between March and May. Respondents answered questions relating to their attitudes toward the general election and the strength of their political opinions and interest. Respondents were asked about their trust in government and their opinions of the Conservative, Labour, Liberal, Scottish Nationalist, and Plaid Cymru political parties (e.g., perceived differences among them, and knowledge and perception of party position/record). Respondents were also asked to reveal their past voting behavior (e.g., their first and second choices in the general election, other parties considered, choices in the 1970 and 1966 elections, frequency of discussion about politics, and direction and strength of party identification). Respondents were then asked for their views on the general election results along a variety of dimensions. Respondents also identified groups with too much or too little political power, as well as groups with whom they themselves identified. They were asked to rate several political parties and politicians and to express their views regarding a range of social issues relating to domestic and foreign affairs, including the mass media (e.g., attention to television and newspapers and perceived bias in newspapers), opinions on prices, strikes in general, the miners' strike, pensions, the Common Market, nationalization, social services, Communists, devolution, income tax and wage controls, and Britain's dependency on other countries (i.e., the United States, Russia, France, Germany, and Australia). Respondents were also asked to predict incomes, unemployment, and Britain's future economic situation. Other sets of questions probed for opinions on social mores and life satisfaction (e.g., life in general, personal financial status, today's standards, local government, change, and getting ahead). Background information includes age, sex, marital status, employment status, socioeconomic group, experience of unemployment in household, income, occupation, degree of supervision, and responsibility in job (for self and spouse). Information on father's vote, party choice, strength of party support, occupation, employment status, and social grade is also included.