Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The aim of this survey was to investigate political responses to unemployment in two localities with similar levels of unemployment but contrasting political cultures. The survey, conducted amongst the labour force in both areas, was designed to test a number of hypotheses about the effect of unemployment on preparedness to take political action.

Main Topics:

Political actions that respondents have taken over unemployment or would be prepared to take over unemployment or threatened job loss. Unemployment experience of respondent or household members and in the local ennumeration district. Sense of injustice over unemployment. Perceptions of class. Attitudes towards unemployment, the unemployed and politics. There is particularly rich data on occupation : jobs of respondent ( or last job), head of household, and two friends. Data coded to all OPCS schemes all Hope-Goldthorpe schemes, to market researchers' ABC scheme and to Cambridge scale of social status Used five of SAPU's commitment to work scale Perceived social class items were drawn from the National Child Development Study Used three terms from the Campbell and Converse political efficacy measure Used one item from the Srole anomie scale This study also included interviews with forty local political leaders. These data have not been deposited. The interviews are recorded on tape and in hand-written notes. The political leaders also returned a self-completion questionnaire. Anyone interested in these additional data should contact the principal investigators.

Half random - half quota. Disproportionate stratified sample to ensure that 40% of the sample was unemployed

Face-to-face interview

Self-completion