The data
for this survey were gathered by the Field Research Corporation in 1985, 1991,
and 1995 and made available through the Field Institute, a research center studying
public opinion on a wide variety of social and political issues. The Institute
is a not-for-profit organization, and all its research data are ultimately delegated
to a public access archive. The Field Institute receives financial support from
the private organizations and state agencies that subscribe to the Institute's
California Policy Survey Program, academic institutions that are members of
an academic consortium, and media subscribers to The Field Poll.
The data were
gathered by telephone interviews with California residents age 18 and over
using multi-stage cluster sampling. This probability sampling technique uses
random-digit dialing. Phone numbers are dialed randomly within working exchanges
(the first three digits of phone numbers). Numbers are selected so that all
geographic areas have the appropriate proportional chance of being included.
With random-digit dialing, numbers not listed in telephone directories and
households that recently moved to an area are included in the sample.
LIST OF VARIABLE
NAMES AND EXTENDED LABELS:
Name -- Variable
Description
V1 -- Advantage being a man or a woman
V2 -- Efforts to strengthen women's status
V3 -- Who does most of housework
V4 -- Who should clean if both work full time
V5 -- Prefer traditional or shared marriage
V6 -- How concerned about women's issues
V7 -- Increase state tax to pay for child care
V8 -- It is still a man's world
V9 -- Women be better than men to get ahead
V10 -- Women are paid less for comparable work
V11 -- Female jobs should pay same as male jobs
V12 -- State spend more on child care
V13 -- Need more child care for working parents
V14 -- Financial decisions made by woman or man
V15 -- Wife should help husband's career first
V16 -- Restrictions on abortions
V17 -- Testing RU 486 in U.S.
DISCRIM -- Discrimination and the need for affirmative
action
V18 -- Employed full or part time outside home
V19 -- Marital status
V20 -- Is spouse/partner employed outside the home
V21 -- Respondent's age (unrecoded)
V22 -- Respondent's age in ten year intervals
V23 -- Respondent's age in three categories
V24 -- Respondent's education
V25 -- Respondent's education in three categories
V26 -- Consider self conservative or liberal
V27 -- Think self Republican, Democrat, or Independent
V29 -- Party registered with
V30 -- Religious preference
V31 -- Respondent's income
V33 -- Respondent's racial/ethnic background
V34 -- Respondent's sex
YEAR -- Year of survey
OPINION VARIABLES
This codebook
lists the variables in the three data sets. The first line is the variable
name (for example, V1) with an extended label describing the variable. Next
is the exact question that the respondents were asked. The years that included
each question are indicated in brackets. The first column below shows the
code for each of the possible responses and the second column lists the responses.
V1
-- ADVANTAGE BEING A MAN OR A WOMAN
All things considered, in our society today, do you think there are more advantages
being a man, more advantages being a woman, or that there are no more advantages
being one or the other?
[1985 91 95]
1 -- A man
2 -- No advantage
3 -- A woman
V2
-- EFFORTS TO STRENGTHEN WOMEN'S STATUS
In general, do you favor or oppose efforts to strengthen and change women's
status in society today? Do you favor/oppose strongly or somewhat?
[1985 91 95]
1 -- Favor strongly
2 -- Favor somewhat
3 -- Oppose somewhat
4 -- Oppose strongly
V3
-- WHO DOES MOST OF THE HOUSEWORK
Who does most of the housework in your own home--you, your spouse or partner,
someone else or is it divided evenly?
[1985 91 95]
1 -- Respondent does most
2 -- Spouse does most
3 -- Someone else
4 -- Divided equally
V4
-- WHO SHOULD CLEAN IF BOTH WORK FULL TIME
As a general rule, when both partners in the household work full time outside
the home, who should be responsible for cleaning the house--the woman, the
man, or both equally?
[1985 91 95]
1 -- The woman
2 -- The man
3 -- Both equally
V5
-- PREFER TRADITIONAL OR SHARED MARRIAGE
What kind of marriage do you think is the more satisfying way of life: One
where the husband provides for the family and the wife takes care of the house
and children or one where both the husband and wife have jobs and both take
care of the house and children?
[1991 95]
1 -- Husband Provide = Traditional
2 -- Both Jobs and Care = Shared
V6
-- HOW CONCERNED ABOUT WOMEN'S ISSUES
How concerned are you personally about women's issues? Are you very concerned,
somewhat concerned, not very concerned or not concerned at all?
[1991 95]
1 -- Very concerned
2 -- Somewhat concerned
3 -- Not very concerned
4 -- Not concerned at all
V7
-- INCREASE STATE TAX TO PAY FOR CHILD CARE
How willing would you be to pay more in state taxes to fund or subsidize more
child care facilities -- very willing, somewhat willing, somewhat unwilling,
or not willing at all? [1991]
1 -- Very willing
2 -- Somewhat willing
3 -- Somewhat unwilling
4 -- Not willing at all
V8
-- IT IS STILL A MAN'S WORLD
Despite recent gains by women, when all is said and done, it is still essentially
a man's world: do you agree strongly, agree somewhat, disagree somewhat or
disagree strongly? [1985 91 95]
1 -- Agree strongly
2 -- Agree somewhat
3 -- Disagree somewhat
4 -- Disagree strongly
V9
-- WOMEN BE BETTER THAN MEN TO GET AHEAD
To get ahead in the world today a woman generally needs to be much better
at what she does than a man.
[1985 91 95]
1 -- Agree strongly
2 -- Agree somewhat
3 -- Disagree somewhat
4 -- Disagree strongly
V10
-- WOMEN ARE PAID LESS FOR COMPARABLE WORK
Generally speaking, women are now getting less pay than men for doing comparable
jobs with similar skills, training and responsibility.
[1985 91 95]
1 -- Agree strongly
2 -- Agree somewhat
3 -- Disagree somewhat
4 -- Disagree strongly
V11
-- FEMALE JOBS SHOULD PAY SAME AS MALE JOBS
Predominantly female jobs should be paid at the same rate as predominantly
male jobs if they require the same levels of training, skill and responsibility.
[1985 91 95]
1 -- Agree strongly
2 -- Agree somewhat
3 -- Disagree somewhat
4 -- Disagree strongly
V12
-- STATE SPEND MORE ON CHILD CARE
The state should be spending more tax dollars to ensure that adequate child
care facilities are available to working parents.
[1985 91 95]
1 -- Agree strongly
2 -- Agree somewhat
3 -- Disagree somewhat
4 -- Disagree strongly
V13
-- NEED MORE CHILD CARE FOR WORKING PARENTS
More child care facilities are needed in the state to meet the needs of working
parents.
[1985 91 95]
1 -- Agree strongly
2 -- Agree somewhat
3 -- Disagree somewhat
4 -- Disagree strongly
V14
-- FINANCIAL DECISIONS MADE BY WOMAN OR MAN
The family's financial decisions can be made just as well by either a woman
or a man.
[1985 91 95]
1 -- Agree strongly
2 -- Agree somewhat
3 -- Disagree somewhat
4 -- Disagree strongly
V15
-- WIFE SHOULD HELP HUSBAND'S CAREER FIRST
It's more important for a wife to help her husband's career than to have a
career. [1985 91]
1 -- Agree strongly
2 -- Agree somewhat
3 -- Disagree somewhat
4 -- Disagree strongly
V16
-- RESTRICTIONS ON ABORTION
In respect to the issue of abortion, do you favor state laws that would make
it more difficult for a woman to get an abortion or should no change be made
to existing state abortion laws?
[1991]
1 -- More difficult
2 -- Easier
3 -- No change
V16A -- ABORTION
DURING FIRST THREE MONTHS
Do you approve of disapprove of allowing abortion during the first three months
of pregnancy?
[1995]
1 -- Approve
2 -- Disapprove
V16B -- ABORTION
DURING 4-5 MONTHS
Would you approve or disapprove of allowing abortion if the mother was between
the fourth and sixth month of her pregnancy?
[1995]
1 -- Approve
2 -- Disapprove
V16C -- ABORTION
AFTER SIX MONTHS
Would you approve or disapprove of allowing abortion if the mother was more
than six months into her pregnancy?
[1995]
1 -- Approve
2 -- Disapprove
V16D -- MEDICAL
PAY FOR ABORTION
Currently, the state of California under MediCal pays the costs for an abortion
by a woman who can't afford to pay for it herself. Do you think the state
should continue to pay for such abortions or not?
[1995]
1 -- State should pay
2 -- Should not pay
V17
-- TESTING RU 486 IN U.S.
A new abortion pill called RU 486 is currently in widespread use in France.
This pill allows women to end an unwanted pregnancy without having to undergo
surgery. Some people would like to begin testing this pill here in the U.S.
Do you favor or oppose allowing the abortion pill RU 486 to be tested in the
U.S.?
[1991]
1 -- Favor
2 -- Oppose
DISCRIM
-- Opinions on Discrimination and Need for Affirmative Action
Which of these four statements comes closest to your own views?
[1995]
1 -- Discrimination is still common and affirmative action policies should
not be changed.
2 -- Discrimination is still common, but affirmative action policies should
be relaxed somewhat
3 -- Discrimination is still common, but affirmative action policies are fundamentally
flawed and should be eliminated
4 -- Discrimination has been largely eliminated and affirmative action policies
are no longer needed
BACKGROUND
VARIABLES
V18
-- EMPLOYED FULL OR PART TIME OUTSIDE HOME
Are you employed either full time or part time outside the home?
[1985 91 95]
1 -- Employed full time
2 -- Employed part time
3 -- Temporarily unemployed
4 -- Not employed
V19
-- MARITAL STATUS
Which of the following best describes your present marital status: married,
separated or divorced, widowed, never married?
[1985 91 95]
1 -- Married
2 -- Separated/divorced
3 -- Widowed
4 -- Never married
V20
-- IS SPOUSE/PARTNER EMPLOYED OUTSIDE THE HOME
[1991 95]
1 -- Employed full time
2 -- Employed part time
3 -- Temporarily unemployed
4 -- Not employed
V21
-- RESPONDENT'S AGE (UNRECODED)
[1985, 91,95]
What is your age? [Coded in Years]
V22
-- RESPONDENT'S AGE RECODED IN TEN YEAR INTERVALS
[1985, 91, 95]
1 -- Under 30
2 -- 30 to 39
3 -- 40 to 49
4 -- 50 to 59
5 -- 60 to 69
6 -- 70 and over
V23
-- RESPONDENT'S AGE RECODED IN THREE CATEGORIES
[1985 91 95]
1 -- Under 30
2 -- 30 to 49
3 -- 50 and over
V24
-- RESPONDENT'S EDUCATION
What is the highest grade or year of school that you have finished and gotten
credit for?
[1985 91 95]
1 -- 8th grade or less
2 -- Some high school
3 -- Graduated HS
4 -- Trade school
5 -- 1-2 years college
6 -- 3-4 years college
7 -- Bachelor's degree
8 -- 5-6 years college
9 -- Master's degree
10 -- Post Master's
V25
-- RESPONDENT'S EDUCATION IN THREE CATEGORIES
[1985 91 95]
1 -- High school or less
2 -- Some college
3 -- College degree
V26
-- CONSIDER SELF CONSERVATIVE OR LIBERAL
Generally speaking, in politics do you consider yourself as conservative,
liberal, middle-of-the-road or don't you think of yourself in these terms?
[1985 91 95]
1 -- Conservative
2 -- Liberal
3 -- Middle-of-road
4 -- Not these terms
V27
-- THINK SELF REPUB, DEM, OR INDEP
Generally speaking, do you usually think of yourself as a Republican, a Democrat,
an Independent or what?
[1985 91 95]
1 -- Republican
2 -- Democrat
3 -- Independent
4 -- No preference
5 -- Other
V29
-- PARTY REGISTERED WITH
[1985 91 95]
1 -- Republican
2 -- Democrat
3 -- Peace & Freedom
4 -- American Independent
5 -- Libertarian
6 -- Decline to state
V30
-- RELIGIOUS PREFERENCE
What, if any, is your religious preference -- Protestant, Roman Catholic,
Jewish, or some other faith?
[1985 91 95]
1 -- Protestant
2 -- Roman Catholic
3 -- Jewish
4 -- Other
5 -- No preference, no religion
V31
-- ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME
[1991] [1985 stopped at $50,000]
1 -- Under $10,000
2 -- $10-$19,999
3 -- $20-$29,999
4 -- $30-$39,999
5 -- $40-$49,999
6 -- $50-$59,999
7 -- $60-$69,999
8 -- $70-$79,999
9 -- $80-$99,999
10 -- $100,000 or more
[1995]
1 -- Under $20,000
2 -- $20-$39,999
3 -- $40-$59,999
4 -- $60-$79,999
5 -- $80,000 or more
V33
-- RESPONDENT'S RACIAL/ETHNIC BACKGROUND
[1985 91 95]
1 -- White, Non-Hispanic
2 -- Black, Non-Hispanic
3 -- Asian, Non-Hispanic
4 -- Other, Non-Hispanic
5 -- Hispanic of any race
V34
-- RESPONDENT'S SEX
[1985 91 95]
1 -- Male
2 -- Female
YEAR
-- YEAR OF SURVEY
1 -- 1985
2 -- 1991
3 -- 1995
