1972-1994 General Social Survey Cumulative File
equal1 EVERYONE SHOULD LOOK OUT FOR SELF
On these cards are some opinions about the government
and the economy. For each one I'd like you to tell me
whether you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat
disagree or strongly disagree. In our society everyone
must look out for himself. It is of little use to
unite with others and fight for one's goals in
politics or in unions.
PCT N VALUE LABEL
8.2 117 1 STRONGLY AGREE
24.0 341 2 SOMEWHAT AGREE
35.0 497 3 SOMEWHT DISAGREE
32.7 465 4 STRNGLY DISAGREE
34 8 NO OPINION
19 9 NA
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equal2 BUSINESS PROFITS BENEFIT ALL
The economy can run only if businessmen make good
profits. That benefits everyone in the end.
PCT N VALUE LABEL
24.6 348 1 STRONGLY AGREE
45.7 647 2 SOMEWHAT AGREE
21.3 301 3 SOMEWHT DISAGREE
8.4 119 4 STRNGLY DISAGREE
43 8 NO OPINION
15 9 NA
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equal3 GOVT SHLD INSURE JOBS AND STABLE PRICES
The government must see to it that everyone has a job
and that prices are stable, even if the rights of
businessmen have to be restricted.
PCT N VALUE LABEL
14.3 204 1 STRONGLY AGREE
29.9 426 2 SOMEWHAT AGREE
34.2 487 3 SOMEWHT DISAGREE
21.6 307 4 STRNGLY DISAGREE
32 8 NO OPINION
17 9 NA
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equal4 RESPONSIBILITY OF GOVT TO MEET NEEDS
It is the responsibility of government to meet
everyone's needs, even in case of sickness, poverty,
unemployment, and old age.
PCT N VALUE LABEL
21.5 308 1 STRONGLY AGREE
35.8 514 2 SOMEWHAT AGREE
29.3 420 3 SOMEWHT DISAGREE
13.4 192 4 STRNGLY DISAGREE
20 8 NO OPINION
19 9 NA
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equal5 SOCIAL WELFARE BENEFITS ARE DISINCENTIVE
If social welfare benefits such as disability,
unemployment compensation, and early retirement
pensions are as high as they are now, it only makes
people not want to work anymore.
PCT N VALUE LABEL
13.2 188 1 STRONGLY AGREE
32.8 466 2 SOMEWHAT AGREE
34.1 484 3 SOMEWHT DISAGREE
19.9 283 4 STRNGLY DISAGREE
31 8 NO OPINION
21 9 NA
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equal6 ONE IS ABLE TO LIVE WELL IN AMERICA
All in all, one can live well in America.
PCT N VALUE LABEL
45.0 646 1 STRONGLY AGREE
42.1 605 2 SOMEWHAT AGREE
9.5 136 3 SOMEWHT DISAGREE
3.4 49 4 STRNGLY DISAGREE
11 8 NO OPINION
26 9 NA
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equal7 BUSINESS PROFITS ARE DISTRIBUTED FAIRLY
Generally speaking, business profits are distributed
fairly in the United States.
PCT N VALUE LABEL
4.8 66 1 STRONGLY AGREE
31.1 427 2 SOMEWHAT AGREE
40.4 554 3 SOMEWHT DISAGREE
23.7 325 4 STRNGLY DISAGREE
79 8 NO OPINION
22 9 NA
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equal8 SOCIAL STANDING DUE TO ABILITY
If someone has a high social or economic position,
that indicates the person has special abilities or
great accomplishments.
PCT N VALUE LABEL
12.2 172 1 STRONGLY AGREE
37.7 531 2 SOMEWHAT AGREE
32.0 450 3 SOMEWHT DISAGREE
18.1 254 4 STRNGLY DISAGREE
48 8 NO OPINION
18 9 NA
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usclass1 TRADITIONAL CLASS DIVISIONS STILL REMAIN
Here are different opinions about social differences
in this country. Please tell me for each one whether
you stornly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree,
or strongly disagree. READ EACH STATEMENT. In the
United States traditional divisions between owners and
workers still remain. A person's social standing
depends upon whether he/she belongs to the upper or
lower class.
PCT N VALUE LABEL
16.5 230 1 STRONGLY AGREE
53.8 750 2 SOMEWHAT AGREE
23.2 323 3 SOMEWHT DISAGREE
6.6 92 4 STRNGLY DISAGREE
51 8 NO OPINION
27 9 NA
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usclass2 ACHIEVEMENT DEPENDS ON FAMILY BACKGROUND
In the United States there are still great differences
between social levels, and what one can achieve in
life depends mainly upon one's family background.
PCT N VALUE LABEL
9.4 133 1 STRONGLY AGREE
35.7 508 2 SOMEWHAT AGREE
33.0 469 3 SOMEWHT DISAGREE
21.9 312 4 STRNGLY DISAGREE
26 8 NO OPINION
25 9 NA
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usclass3 ACHIEVEMENT DEPENDS ON EDUC AND ABILITY
America has an open society. What one achieves in life
no longer depends on one's family background, but on
the abilities one has and the education one acquires.
PCT N VALUE LABEL
40.2 573 1 STRONGLY AGREE
44.8 639 2 SOMEWHAT AGREE
13.4 191 3 SOMEWHT DISAGREE
1.7 24 4 STRNGLY DISAGREE
21 8 NO OPINION
25 9 NA
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usclass4 ONES OWN EFFORTS DONT COUNT
What one gets in life hardly depends at all on one's
own efforts, but rather on the economic situation, job
opportunities, union agreements, and the social
services provided by the government.
PCT N VALUE LABEL
7.9 112 1 STRONGLY AGREE
34.6 490 2 SOMEWHAT AGREE
36.2 512 3 SOMEWHT DISAGREE
21.3 301 4 STRNGLY DISAGREE
31 8 NO OPINION
27 9 NA
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usclass5 PERSONAL INCOME NOT DETERMINED BY WORK
Personal income should not be determined solely by
one's work. Rather, everybody should get what he/she
needs to provide a decent life for his/her family.
PCT N VALUE LABEL
11.5 163 1 STRONGLY AGREE
22.3 316 2 SOMEWHAT AGREE
34.8 492 3 SOMEWHT DISAGREE
31.4 444 4 STRNGLY DISAGREE
29 8 NO OPINION
29 9 NA
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usclass6 DIFFERENCES IN CLASS ARE AN INCENTIVE
Only if differences in income and social standing are
large enough is ther an incentive for individual
effort.
PCT N VALUE LABEL
11.3 154 1 STRONGLY AGREE
48.1 653 2 SOMEWHAT AGREE
30.3 411 3 SOMEWHT DISAGREE
10.2 139 4 STRNGLY DISAGREE
90 8 NO OPINION
26 9 NA
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usclass7 DIFFERENCES IN CLASS REFLECT OWN EFFORT
Differences in social standing between people are
acceptable because they basically reflect what people
made out of the opportunities they had.
PCT N VALUE LABEL
17.4 243 1 STRONGLY AGREE
56.9 794 2 SOMEWHAT AGREE
20.7 289 3 SOMEWHT DISAGREE
4.9 69 4 STRNGLY DISAGREE
51 8 NO OPINION
27 9 NA
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usclass8 SOCIAL DIFFERENCES ARE ACCEPTABLE
All in all, I think social differences in this country
are justified.
PCT N VALUE LABEL
8.6 120 1 STRONGLY AGREE
45.4 631 2 SOMEWHAT AGREE
34.1 474 3 SOMEWHT DISAGREE
11.8 164 4 STRNGLY DISAGREE
58 8 NO OPINION
26 9 NA
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educop EQUAL OPPORTUNITY TO OBTAIN EDUCATION?
Does everyone in this country have an opportunity to
obtain an education corresponding to their abilities
and talents?
PCT N VALUE LABEL
71.4 1028 1 YES
28.6 411 2 NO
22 8 DK
12 9 NA
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govcare GOVT CONCERN FOR SOCIAL WELFARE
For some time there have been discussions about how
concerned the government should be about the social
welfare of people. We have listed here two different
HAND opinions. With which opinion do you agree the
most? A. Our system of social services goes much too
far. It takes too much care of people and deprives
them of too much individual responsibility. B. Our
system of social services is on the right track. It
provides security for the elderly, the sick, and other
people in distress without depriving people of
individual responsibility.
PCT N VALUE LABEL
26.6 367 1 TOO MUCH CARE
73.4 1013 2 ON RIGHT TRACK
75 8 DK
18 9 NA
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eqwlth SHOULD GOVT REDUCE INCOME DIFFERENCES
Some people think that the government in Washington
ought to reduce the income differences between the
rich and the poor, perhaps by raising the taxes of
wealthy families or by giving income assistance to the
poor. Others think that the government should not
concern itself with reducing this income difference
between the rich and the poor. Here is a card with a
scale from 1 to 7. Think of a score of 1 as meaning
that the government ought to reduce the income
differences between rich and poor, and a score of 7
meaning that the government should not concern itself
with reducing income differences. What score between 1
and 7 comes closest to the way you feel?
PCT N VALUE LABEL
19.6 2996 1 GOVT REDUCE DIFF
10.6 1623 2
17.3 2633 3
20.0 3047 4
12.3 1869 5
7.4 1129 6
12.8 1960 7 NO GOVT ACTION
293 8 DK
56 9 NA
16774 . (No Data)
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eqwlthy GOVT REDUCE INCOME DIFFERENCES-VERSION Y
Some people think that the income differences between
the rich and the poor ought to be reduced, perhaps by
raising the taxes of wealthy families or by giving
income assistance to the poor. Others think that the
government should not concern itself with reducing
this income difference between the rich and the poor.
Here is a card with a scale from 1 to 7. Think of a
score of 1 as meaning that the government ought to
reduce the income differences between rich and poor,
and a score of 7 meaning that the government should
not concern itself with reducing income differences.
What score between 1 and 7 comes closest to the way
you feel?
PCT N VALUE LABEL
19.4 145 1 GOVT REDUCE DIFF
8.3 62 2
19.2 144 3
22.7 170 4
11.2 84 5
8.0 60 6
11.2 84 7 NO GOVT ACTION
19 8 DK
3 9 NA
31609 . (No Data)
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tax RS FEDERAL INCOME TAX
Do you consider the amount of federal income tax which
you have to pay as too high, about right, or too low?
PCT N VALUE LABEL
63.7 11061 1 TOO HIGH
33.9 5885 2 ABOUT RIGHT
0.7 128 3 TOO LOW
1.7 302 4 R PAYS NONE<VOL.>
640 8 DK
158 9 NA
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spkath ALLOW ANTI-RELIGIONIST TO SPEAK
There are always some people whose ideas are
considered bad or dangerous by other people. For
instance, somebody who is agianst all churches and
religion... If such a person wanted to make a speech
in your (city/town/community) against churches and
religion, should he be allowed to speak, or not?
PCT N VALUE LABEL
67.7 15209 1 ALLOWED
32.3 7258 2 NOT ALLOWED
274 8 DK
34 9 NA
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colath ALLOW ANTI-RELIGIONIST TO TEACH
Should such a person be allowed to teach in a college
or university, or not?
PCT N VALUE LABEL
46.9 10286 4 ALLOWED
53.1 11627 5 NOT ALLOWED
803 8 DK
59 9 NA
9605 . (No Data)
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libath ALLOW ANTI-RELIGIOUS BOOK IN LIBRARY
If some people in your community suggested that a book
he wrote against churches and religion should be taken
out of your public library, would you favor removing
this book, or not?
PCT N VALUE LABEL
35.4 7818 1 REMOVE
64.6 14288 2 NOT REMOVE
608 8 DK
61 9 NA
9605 . (No Data)
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spksoc ALLOW SOCIALIST TO SPEAK
Or consider a person who favored government ownership
of all the railroads and all big industries. If such a
person wanted to make a speech in your community
favoring government ownership of all the railroads and
big industries, should he be allowed to speak, or not?
PCT N VALUE LABEL
79.7 3528 1 ALLOWED
20.3 896 2 NOT ALLOWED
175 8 DK
2 9 NA
27779 . (No Data)
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colsoc ALLOW SOCIALIST TO TEACH
Should such a perosn be allowed to teach in a college
or university, or not?
PCT N VALUE LABEL
60.5 2609 4 ALLOWED
39.5 1705 5 NOT ALLOWED
273 8 DK
14 9 NA
27779 . (No Data)
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libsoc ALLOW SOCIALISTS BOOK IN LIBRARY
If some people in your community suggested a book he
wrote favoring government ownership should be taken
out of your public library, would you favor removing
this book, or not?
PCT N VALUE LABEL
26.7 1161 1 REMOVE
73.3 3181 2 NOT REMOVE
240 8 DK
19 9 NA
27779 . (No Data)
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spkrac ALLOW RACIST TO SPEAK
Or consider a person who believes that Blacks are
genetically inferior. If such a person wanted to make
a speech in you community claiming that Blacks are
inferior, should he be allowed to speak, or not?
PCT N VALUE LABEL
61.0 10810 1 ALLOWED
39.0 6901 2 NOT ALLOWED
400 8 DK
63 9 NA
14206 . (No Data)
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colrac ALLOW RACIST TO TEACH
Should such a perosn be allowed to teach in a college
or university, or not?
PCT N VALUE LABEL
43.6 7604 4 ALLOWED
56.4 9827 5 NOT ALLOWED
678 8 DK
65 9 NA
14206 . (No Data)
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librac ALLOW RACISTS BOOK IN LIBRARY
If some people in your community suggested a book he
wrote which said that Blacks are inferior should be
taken out of your public library, would you favor
removing this book, or not?
PCT N VALUE LABEL
35.6 6240 1 REMOVE
64.4 11279 2 NOT REMOVE
593 8 DK
62 9 NA
14206 . (No Data)
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spkcom ALLOW COMMUNIST TO SPEAK
Now, I should like to ask you some questions about a
man who admits he is a Communist. Suppose this
admitted Communist wanted to make a speech in your
community. Should he be allowed to speak, or not?
PCT N VALUE LABEL
60.8 13444 1 ALLOWED
39.2 8679 2 NOT ALLOWED
598 8 DK
54 9 NA
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colcom SHOULD COMMUNIST TEACHER BE FIRED
Suppose he is teaching in a college. Should he be
fired, or not?
PCT N VALUE LABEL
52.3 11160 4 FIRED
47.7 10184 5 NOT FIRED
1337 8 DK
94 9 NA
9605 . (No Data)
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libcom ALLOW COMMUNISTS BOOK IN LIBRARY
Suppose he wrote a book which is in your public
library. Somebody in your community suggests that the
book should be removed from the library. Would you
favor removing it, or not?
PCT N VALUE LABEL
38.5 8427 1 REMOVE
61.5 13436 2 NOT REMOVE
818 8 DK
94 9 NA
9605 . (No Data)
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spkmil ALLOW MILITARIST TO SPEAK
Consider a person who advocates doing away with
elections and letting the military run the country. If
such a person wanted to make a speech in your
community, should he be allowed to speak, or not?
PCT N VALUE LABEL
58.2 10294 1 ALLOWED
41.8 7399 2 NOT ALLOWED
433 8 DK
48 9 NA
14206 . (No Data)
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colmil ALLOW MILITARIST TO TEACH
Should such a person be allowed to teach in a college
or university, or not?
PCT N VALUE LABEL
41.7 7248 4 ALLOWED
58.3 10127 5 NOT ALLOWED
728 8 DK
71 9 NA
14206 . (No Data)
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libmil ALLOW MILITARISTS BOOK IN LIBRARY
Suppose he wrote a book advocating doing away with
elections and letting the military run the country.
Somebody in your community suggests that the book be
removed from the public library. Would you favor
removing it, or not?
PCT N VALUE LABEL
39.4 6903 1 REMOVE
60.6 10622 2 NOT REMOVE
583 8 DK
66 9 NA
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spkhomo ALLOW HOMOSEXUAL TO SPEAK
And what about a man who admits that he is a
homosexual. Suppose this admitted homosexual wanted to
make a speech in your community. Should he be allowed
to speak, or not?
PCT N VALUE LABEL
70.7 14411 1 ALLOWED
29.3 5985 2 NOT ALLOWED
713 8 DK
53 9 NA
11218 . (No Data)
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colhomo ALLOW HOMOSEXUAL TO TEACH
Should such a person be allowed to teach in a college
or university, or not?
PCT N VALUE LABEL
59.8 12111 4 ALLOWED
40.2 8137 5 NOT ALLOWED
850 8 DK
64 9 NA
11218 . (No Data)
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libhomo ALLOW HOMOSEXUALS BOOK IN LIBRARY
If some people in your community suggested that a book
he wrote in favor of homosexuality should be taken out
of your public library, would you favor removing this
book, or not?
PCT N VALUE LABEL
38.8 7934 1 REMOVE
61.2 12489 2 NOT REMOVE
672 8 DK
67 9 NA
11218 . (No Data)
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1972-1994 General Social Survey Cumulative File