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VAR CF0201 DEMOCRATS THERMOMETER

VAR CF0201    DEMOCRATS THERMOMETER                                           
              COLUMNS 170  - 171                                              
              NUMERIC                                                         
              MD EQ 98 OR GE 99                                               

        1964-1968:                                                            
        There are many groups in America that try to get the government or the
        American people to see things more their way.  We would like to get   
        your feelings towards some of these groups.  I have here a card on    
        which there is something that looks like a thermometer.  We call it a 
        "feeling thermometer" because it measures your feelings towards       
        groups. Here's how it works. If you don't know too much about a group 
        or don't feel particularly warm or cold toward them, then you should  
        place them in the middle, at the 50 degree mark.  If you have a warm  
        feeling toward a group or feel favorably toward it, you would give it 
        a score somewhere between 50 degrees and 100 degrees, depending on how
        warm your feeling is toward the group.  On the other hand, if you     
        don't feel very favorably toward some of these groups--if there are   
        some you don't care for too much--then you would place them somewhere 
        between 0 degrees and 50 degrees.                                     
                                                                              
        1970-1974:                                                            
        (1970: As you know, there are many groups and persons in America that 
        try to get the government or the American people to see things more   
        their way. Please use the thermometer again--this time to indicate    
        your feelings toward these groups or persons.)  (1972,1974: We'd also 
        like to get your feelings about some groups in American society, using
        the feeling thermometer just as we did for the [1972: candidates;     
        1974: leaders]. If we come to a group you don't know much about, just 
        tell me and we'll move on to the next one.)  PRECEDING THERMOMETER    
        DESCRIPTION FOR POLITICAL LEADERS, 1970-1974:  I have here a card on  
        which there is something that looks like a thermometer.  We call it a 
        "feeling thermometer" because it measures your feelings toward these  
        people. Here's how it works.  If you don't feel particularly warm or  
        cold toward a person, then you should place him in the middle of the  
        thermometer, at the 50 degree mark.  If you have a warm feeling toward
        him or feel favorably toward him, you would give him a score somewhere
        between 50 degrees and 100 degrees. (1970 only: depending on how warm 
        your feeling is toward that person).  On the other hand, if you don't 
        feel very favorably toward a person--that is, if you don't care for   
        him too much--then you would place him somewhere between 0 degrees and
        50 degrees.                                                           
                                                                              
        1976:  We'd also like to get your feelings about some groups in       
        American society.  When I read the name of a group, we'd like you to  
        rate it with what we call a feeling thermometer.  Ratings between 50  
        degrees-100 degrees mean that you feel favorably and warm toward the  
        group; ratings between 0 and 50 degrees mean that you don't feel      
        favorably towards the group and that you don't care too much for that 
        group.  If you don't feel particularly warm or cold toward a group you
        would rate them at 50 degrees.  If we come to a group you don't know  
        much about, just tell me and we'll move on to the next one.           
                                                                              
        1978-1984:  (1980-1984: And still using the thermometer, how would you
        rate the following.)  PRECEDING THERMOMETER DESCRIPTION FOR POLITICAL 
        LEADERS, 1978-1984:  I'd like to get your feelings toward some of our 
        political leaders and other people who are in the news these days.    
        I'll read the name of a person and I'd like you to rate that person   
        using the feeling thermometer.  Ratings between 50 degrees and 100    
        degrees mean that you feel favorably and warm toward the person;      
        ratings between 0 and 50 degrees mean that you don't feel favorably   
        toward the person and that you don't care too much for that person.   
        If we come to a person whose name you don't recognize, you don't need 
        to rate that person.  Just tell me and we'll move on to the next one. 
        If you do recognize the name, but you don't feel particularly warm or 
        cold toward the person, then you would rate the person at the 50      
        degree mark.                                                          
                                                                              
        1986-later:  (And still using the thermometer, how would you rate the 
        following)  PRECEDING THERMOMETER DESCRIPTION FOR POLITICAL LEADERS,  
        1986-later:  I'd like to get your feelings toward some of our         
        political leaders and other people who are in the news these days     
        (1990: who have been in the news).  I'll read the name of a person and
        I'd like you to rate that person using the feeling thermometer.       
        Ratings between 50 and 100 degrees mean that you feel favorably and   
        warm toward the person; ratings between 0 and 50 degrees mean that you
        don't feel favorably toward the person and that you don't care too    
        much for that person.  You would rate the person at the 50 degree mark
        if you don't feel particularly warm or cold toward the person.  If we 
        come to a person whose name you don't recognize, you don't need to    
        rate that person.  Just tell me and we'll move on to the next one.    
                                                                              
        DEMOCRATS -- FEELING THERMOMETER                                      
        -------------------------------------------------------------------   
                                                                              
        USE WEIGHT VARIABLE VCF0009/VCF0009A/VCF0009B.                        
                                                                              
        (CARD OR RESPONDENT BOOKLET SHOWN TO R IN ALL YEARS)                  
                                                                              
        In all presidential years except 1968 and 1976, group thermometers    
        followed, within the same (wave) interview if not immediately, the    
        series of thermometers for specific political figures:  R was asked to
        recall for the group thermometers the "explanation" of the thermometer
        itself which was given for the individual thermometers.  In 1968 and  
        1976 only, group thermometers appeared in a separate wave.  [NOTE:  no
        individual thermometers at all were used in 1964 and 1966;  no group  
        thermometers were used in 1978, except for Democratic Party and       
        Republican Party-- which appeared within the individual thermometer   
        series].                                                              
                                                                              
        In 1964, 1966 and 1968 "don't knows" were coded 50 on thermometers;   
        groups about which the respondent "didn't know much" were also placed 
        at 50 degrees during these years.                                     
                                                                              
        In 1970 all respondents were asked for the group feeling              
        thermometers but the order in which group thermometers were asked     
        varied according to whether the form used was form 1 or form 2.       
                                                                              
        In 1970-1976, the respondent was not asked to give thermometer ratings
        for groups about which R "didn't know much" or "didn't know too       
        much."  However, it is unclear whether such cases were coded DK or    
        NA:  even within a single study year, "don't know much/too much" may  
        not have been coded consistently to one MD category.                  
                                                                              
               00-96. Degrees as coded                                        
               97. 97-100 Degrees                                             
                                                                              
               98. DK  (exc. 1964-1968:  SEE VCF0201 note)                    
               99. NA; INAP, no post IW (1972,1976,1980); form III, IV (1972);
                   question not used                                          
                                                                              
        1964:  242           1966:  124         1968:  230                    
        1970:  248 (type 0)  1972:  719         1974:  2364                   
        1976:  3833          1980:  871         1982:  146                    
                                                                              
==============================


Walter Mebane
Mon Nov 12 02:55:58 EST 2001