Documentation   Keywords  Publications  Related Studies

Title:
European Election Study, 1994

Subject Categories:
International micro data - Major studies
Election and campaign studies - Politics
Political behaviour and attitudes - Politics

Depositor(s):
Zentralarchiv fuer Empirische Sozialforschung (Koeln)

Principal Investigator(s):
European Election Study Research Group

Sponsor(s):
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Dutch National Science Foundation
University of Amsterdam
Zentrum für Umfragen, Methoden und Analysen (ZUMA)

Abstract:
The European Election Study 1994 is a survey study of the electorates of the member states of the European Union (EU). It focusses in particular on the fourth elections to the European Parliament, which were conducted in June 1994. The study essentially consists of a survey conducted immediately after the European Parliament election of June 1994 in the framework of Eurobarometer 41.1 (held at the UK Data Archive under SN 3526). Variables of three other surveys - surrounding Eurobarometer surveys - are documented and included in addition. The first two of these, Eurobarometers 40 and 41 (SNs 3258 and 3525 respectively) took place before the European elections, in October-November 1993 and in April-May 1994 respectively. The third was Eurobarometer 42 (SN 3480) conducted in November-December 1994. The questionnaires of the study were identical in the various member states, apart from minor but unavoidable differences generated by differences in party names and country-specific institutions. As a consequence the study offers wide opportunities for comparative voting studies.

While the main wave is the post-electoral survey, the other three interviews have partially overlapping contents. Some of the questions have been included in two, a few in three or all four of the interviews, thus offering opportunities for longitudinal comparisons of voter behaviour and voter orientations. The four waves of interviews constitute a repeated cross-section study, i.e. they have been conducted on three independently drawn random samples of the populations of the member states of the European Union. Consequently, longitudinal comparisons can only be made for aggregates, not for individual respondents.

Main Topics:
Subjects covered in this study included respondents' voting intentions and voting behaviour in the 1994 elections to the European Parliament; political interest, attitude and party allegiance; awareness of the election campaign, candidates, election broadcasting and media coverage; attitudes to various social, economic and political issues, such as unemployment, social welfare, border controls and immigration, among others; attitudes to the European Union (EU), political unification, European single currency and opinions of EU institutions such as the Council of Ministers; attitudes to foreign settlement in respondents' home countries; membership of environmental and anti-nuclear groups. Demographic information collected from respondents included employment and housing details, marital status, social class and income.

Coverage:
Dates of Fieldwork: October 1993 to November 1993 (Eurobarometer 40)
4 April 1994 to 6 May 1994 (Eurobarometer 41.0)
11 June 1994 to 8 July 1994 (Eurobarometer 41.1)
November 1994 to December 1994 (Eurobarometer 42)
Country: Belgium; Denmark; East Germany (October 1990-); France; Germany (October 1990-); Great Britain; Greece; Ireland; Italy; Luxembourg; Multi-nation; Netherlands; Northern Ireland; Portugal; Spain; United Kingdom; West Germany (October 1990-)
Spatial Units: Countries
Observation Units: Individuals

Universe Sampled:
Location of Units of Observation:Cross-national
Population:Adults aged 15 and over living in 12 European Union member states, who registered to vote in the European Election of June 1994.
Eurobarometer surveys 40, 41, and 42 also included some data from Austria, Sweden, Finland and Norway. These countries are not included in this survey.

Methodology:
Time Dimensions: Repeated cross-sectional study
Sampling Procedures: Multistage national probability samples and national stratified quota samples.
Method of Data Collection: Face-to-face interview

Language(s) of Written Materials:
Study Description: English
Study Documentation: various

Access:
Access Conditions: The depositor has specified that registration is required and standard conditions of use apply. The depositor may be informed about usage. See terms and conditions for further information.
Available to UK residents or those registered at UK institutions of higher or further education only.
Availability: ESDS International, UK Data Archive
Contact: Help desk: international@esds.ac.uk
Originating Archive: Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences. Data Archive for the Social Sciences - Original Study Number: 2865

Date of Release:
First Edition: 09 September 1997

Download Acrobat PDF Reader