D0943: Australian Election Study, 1996

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR(s) 
Jones, Roger, The Australian National University.
McAllister, Ian, University of New South Wales.
Gow, David, University of Queensland.

ABSTRACT
The 1996 Australian Election Study is the fourth in a series of surveys 
beginning in 1987 which have been timed to coincide with Australian 
Federal elections.  The series also builds on the 1967 and 1979 Australian 
Political Attitudes Surveys.  The Australian Election Studies aim to 
provide a long-term perspective on stability and change in the political 
attitudes and behaviour of the Australian electorate, and investigate 
the changing social bases of Australian politics as the economy and 
society modernise and change character.  In addition to these long-term 
goals they examine the political issues prevalent in the election and 
assesses their importance for the election result.

The 1996 survey replicates many questions from the 1987, 1990 and 1993 
Australian Election Studies, but also introduces a variety of new 
questions including a section on national identity.  Other sections 
covered the respondent's interest in the election campaign and politics, 
their past and present political affiliation, evaluation of parties and 
candidates, alignment with parties on various election issues, 
evaluation of the economic situation and economic policies, attitudes to 
a range of environmental issues, attitudes to foreign affairs and defence 
issues and attitudes to contemporary social policy issues including equal 
opportunity, censorship, migration, assistance for aborigines, abortion, 
criminal law, expenditure on social services, the monarchy and the 
Australian flag.

Background variables include level of education, employment status, 
occupation, type of employer, position at workplace, trade union 
membership, sex, age, own and parents country of birth, parents' political 
preferences, religion, marital status, income, and where applicable, the 
occupation, trade union membership and political preference of the 
respondent's spouse.

SUBJECT TERMS 
Attitudes; Culture; Defence; Economic policy; Elections; Environment; 
International relations; Political parties; Politicians; Politics; Social 
policy;

UNIVERSE SAMPLED 
persons on the Australian electoral roll at the close of rolls, February 
1996  

SAMPLING PROCEDURE 
stratified systematic random sample

METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION 
self-completion (mail out, mail back)

DIMENSIONS OF DATA SET
number of cases: 1795
number of variables per case: 301
number of cards per case: 5

ACCESSIBILITY 
A copy of the User Undertaking form must be signed before data may be 
accessed.

PUBLICATIONS
Australian Journal of Political Science, Special Issue, 1994, 29.

McAllister, Ian et al. Australian Election Study, 1990 [computer file]. 
Canberra: Australian Social Science Data Archive, The Australian National 
University, 1990. (ASSDA No. 570)

McAllister, Ian and Mughan, Anthony.  Australian Election Survey, 1987 
[computer file]. Canberra: Australian Social Science Data Archive, The Australian 
National University, 1987. (ASSDA No. 445)

Aitkin, Don. MacQuarie University Australian Political Attitudes Survey, 
1979 [computer file].  Canberra: Australian Social Science Data Archive, The 
Australian National University, 1982. (ASSDA No. 9)

Aitkin, Donald et al. Australian National Political Attitudes Wave II, 
1969 [computer file]. Michigan: Inter-University Consortium for 
Political Research, 1976. (ICPSR No. 7393)

Aitkin, Donald and Kahan, Michael.  Australian National Political 
Attitudes Wave I, 1967 [computer file]. Michigan: Inter-University 
Consortium for Political Research, 1975. (ICPSR No. 7282)

START YEAR: 1996
END YEAR: 1996

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION: Australia