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Title:
New Society Incomes Policy Survey, 1974

Subject Categories:
Economic conditions and indicators - Economics
Equality and inequality - Social stratification and groupings
Income, property and investment - Economics

Depositor(s):
New Society (Periodical)
Opinion Research Centre

Principal Investigator(s):
New Society (Periodical)

Data Collector(s):
Opinion Research Centre

Abstract:
To examine public attitudes to an incomes policy, undertaken in January 1974.
Main Topics:
Attitudinal/Behavioural Questions
First asking for the respondent's definition of an incomes policy, the survey then concentrates on the effects of such a policy, asking for agreement or disagreement with a series of statements concerning wages and incomes, respondent's choice of most acceptable reason for a pay rise from a given list of nine reasons and the respondent's attitude towards 'special cases'. Concerning the effect of an incomes policy on the respondent himself, information is obtained on whether respondent feels that such a policy would make him better off or not, what income level the respondent feels necessary to maintain a proper standard of living, whether the present government is doing enough for 'people like yourself', and, finally, what is understood by the phrase 'people like yourself', eliciting a subjective assessment of class.
The effect of an incomes policy on the country's economy, on a capable and hardworking person's chances of getting on, on Britain as a place to live and on the amount of government interference in everyday life is also assessed. All those in full-time employment were asked whether they would, unconditionally, accept a pay increase of 7p in the $ or less and whether they would accept the following if the government was thereby able to keep prices steady: such a limitation on their annual pay rise (if they would not accept it unconditionally), the imposition of fines on unions making strikes for wage claims above the level allowed by the incomes policy, or a total wage freeze. Two final questions ask for the respondent's opinion as to whether any government could keep prices steady and for his attitude to the pay freeze of 1973. Some questions in this survey were taken from W G Runciman's Relative Deprivation and Social Justice (data held as Survey 028).
Background Variables
Age, sex, party membership and support, union membership (and whether active member or not), geographical region, whether employed or not, type of job (manual, non-manual) and occupational class according to a four-point scale.

Coverage:
Dates of Fieldwork: 15 January 1974-20 January 1974
Country: Great Britain
Spatial Units: Standard Region
Observation Units: Individuals

Universe Sampled:
Location of Units of Observation:National
Population:Adults aged 15 and over in Great Britain

Methodology:
Time Dimensions: Cross-sectional (one-time) study
Sampling Procedures: Quota sample
Number of Units: 1169 (obtained)
Method of Data Collection: Face-to-face interview

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

Access:
Access Conditions: The depositor has specified that registration is required and standard conditions of use apply. The depositor may be informed about usage.
Additional special conditions of use also apply. See terms and conditions for further information.
Availability: ESDS Access and Preservation, UK Data Archive
Contact: Help desk: help@esds.ac.uk

Date of Release:
First Edition: 1 January 1974

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