D0087: Australian Gallup Poll, December 5 1959
POLLING ORGANISATION Roy Morgan Research Centre SURVEY METHOD Each weekend, 110 trained interviewers were sent to different but randomly- selected "cluster points" spread in proportion to population over cities and country areas throughout Australia excluding the ACT and the Northern Territory. Interviewers were instructed to commence interviewing at the dwelling adjacent to, and at the right of, the random start and to interview one individual there and, moving in a clockwise fashion around the block, in each adjacent dwelling until a cluster of 10 individuals was interviewed. Interviews were conducted during daylight hours, on Saturdays and Sundays when most people were at home. Each weekend, an Australia-wide cross-section of about 2,200 different adults aged 21 years and over from 110 districts were therefore interviewed. This poll is based on 1,695 interviews conducted in December 1959. BACKGROUND VARIABLES age / sex / economic classification / occupation / religion / location / vote at last Federal election / voting intention / car ownership / telephone subscriber / political complexion /sex of interviewer / respondent status / WEIGHTING The responses are unweighted. A weighting variable (WTVAR) is included in the data file to indicate the interviewer workloads selected for duplication. THEMES - NAMES AND RESPONSES 1. The first question's about daylight saving. In summer, would you favor, or oppose, putting the clock forward an hour? Category label Code Count Percent UNDECIDED 0 157 9.3 OPPOSE 11 564 33.3 FAVOR 12 974 57.5 ------- ----- Total responses 1695 100.0 2a. The next question's about LIVING in the city or in the country. If (you) (your husband) were offered two similar jobs - one in (STATE CAPITAL) and the other in a big country town - and there were no difficulties about housing (or schools) - where would you prefer to live - in (STATE CAPITAL) or in the big country town? Category label Code Count Percent CAPITAL CITY 1 597 35.2 BIG TOWN 2 1024 60.4 NO OPINION 3 73 4.3 MISSING 4 1 .1 ------- ----- Total responses 1695 100.0 3a. Next, a question on whether some Asians should be allowed to come and live here permanently. Would you favor, or oppose, allowing a certain number of Asians to settle here each year? Category label Code Count Percent YES, FAVOR 4 944 55.7 OPPOSE 5 577 34.0 UNDECIDED 6 174 10.3 ------- ----- Total responses 1695 100.0 3b. IF "FAVOR": About how many each year, from ALL of Asia? Category label Code Count Percent 10%+ OF MIGRANTS 0 26 1.5 LESS THAN 200 1 85 5.0 200-499 2 45 2.7 500-599 3 52 3.1 600-999 4 6 .4 1,000-1,499 5 89 5.3 1,500-5,000 6 68 4.0 10,000-50,000 7 28 1.7 OVER 50,000 8 22 1.3 SMALL NUMBER 9 69 4.1 STUDENTS; SAME 11 3 .2 NO IDEA 12 451 26.6 NOT ASKED 13 751 44.3 ------- ----- Total responses 1695 100.0 3c. Of that (ANSWER to b.) each year - would you have a fixed quota from each Asian country - or - would you have our Government select the (ANSWER to b.) from all of Asia? Category label Code Count Percent NO OPINION 0 186 11.0 SELECT 11 531 31.3 QUOTA 12 227 13.4 NOT ASKED 13 751 44.3 ------- ----- Total responses 1695 100.0 4a. Next a different kind of question - on whether or not Australia should change to a decimal coinage, with everything in tens, like dollars and cents. Would you be for, or against, Australia changing to a decimal coinage? Category label Code Count Percent FOR 1 819 48.3 AGAINST 2 645 38.1 UNDECIDED 3 231 13.6 ------- ----- Total responses 1695 100.0 5. There's talk of a referendum to give the Federal Parliament more powers - to make laws on hire purchase, industrial conditions, nuclear energy, marketing and several other things. Speaking generally, in your opinion, should the powers of the Federal Parliament be increased, reduced or left about as they are? Category label Code Count Percent INCREASED 4 387 22.8 REDUCED 5 180 10.6 LEFT AS IS 6 893 52.7 UNDECIDED 7 229 13.5 MISSING 8 6 .4 ------- ----- Total responses 1695 100.0 6. On this card are six statements to do with alcohol. I should be glad if you would read each of them ALOUD, and say whether you agree or disagree with it. Now, the first statement, "Alcohol is a dangerous drug" - do you agree, or disagree with that? And the next statement? etc. Alcohol is a dangerous drug. Category label Code Count Percent YES, AGREE 1 680 40.1 NO, DISAGREE 10 945 55.8 MISSING 11 70 4.1 ------- ----- Total responses 1695 100.0 Alcohol is a pleasant stimulant. Category label Code Count Percent YES, AGREE 1 512 30.2 NO, DISAGREE 10 1103 65.1 MISSING 11 80 4.7 ------- ----- Total responses 1695 100.0 The liquor laws should be tightened. Category label Code Count Percent YES, AGREE 1 809 47.7 NO, DISAGREE 10 787 46.4 MISSING 11 99 5.8 ------- ----- Total responses 1695 100.0 The liquor laws should be liberalised. Category label Code Count Percent YES, AGREE 1 1030 60.8 NO, DISAGREE 10 532 31.4 MISSING 11 133 7.8 ------- ----- Total responses 1695 100.0 People should be told of the dangers of drink. Category label Code Count Percent YES, AGREE 1 199 11.7 NO, DISAGREE 10 1441 85.0 MISSING 11 55 3.2 ------- ----- Total responses 1695 100.0 Facilities for drinking should be made more attractive. Category label Code Count Percent YES, AGREE 1 782 46.1 NO, DISAGREE 10 843 49.7 MISSING 11 70 4.1 ------- ----- Total responses 1695 100.0 7a. And a question about some of the grounds for divorce in the new Federal divorce law. Do you think SEPARATION for several years should, or should not, be grounds for divorce? If "SHOULD": After how many years, would you suggest? Category label Code Count Percent 10 OR MORE YEARS 0 10 .6 AFTER 1 YEAR 1 85 5.0 AFTER 2 YEARS 2 186 11.0 AFTER 3 YEARS 3 366 21.6 AFTER 4 YEARS 4 55 3.2 AFTER 5 YEARS 5 359 21.2 AFTER 6 YEARS 6 14 .8 AFTER 7 YEARS 7 27 1.6 AFTER 8 YEARS 8 2 .1 UNDECIDED 11 216 12.7 SHOULDN'T 12 373 22.0 MISSING 13 2 .1 ------- ----- Total responses 1695 100.0 7b. Do you think DESERTION should, or should not, be grounds for divorce? IF "SHOULD": After how many years? Category label Code Count Percent 10 OR MORE YEARS 0 14 .8 AFTER 1 YEAR 1 200 11.8 AFTER 2 YEARS 2 279 16.5 AFTER 3 YEARS 3 489 28.8 AFTER 4 YEARS 4 39 2.3 AFTER 5 YEARS 5 227 13.4 AFTER 6 YEARS 6 5 .3 AFTER 7 YEARS 7 18 1.1 AFTER 8 YEARS 8 3 .2 UNDECIDED 11 153 9.0 SHOULDN'T 12 254 15.0 MISSING 13 14 .8 ------- ----- Total responses 1695 100.0 7c. To help classify answers to this question, would you mind telling me your religion? Category label Code Count Percent ROMAN CATHOLIC 1 336 19.8 CHURCH OF ENGLAND 2 720 42.5 PRESBYTERIAN 3 242 14.3 METHODIST 4 231 13.6 BAPTIST 5 26 1.5 PROTESTANT 6 7 .4 OTHER CHRISTIANS 7 84 5.0 NON-CHRISTIAN 8 6 .4 NO RELIGION 9 14 .8 MISSING 10 29 1.7 ------- ----- Total responses 1695 100.0 8. And about family planning. Do you think Governments in every country of the world should, or should not, explain and support birth control and family planning? Category label Code Count Percent UNDECIDED 0 150 8.8 SHOULD NOT 11 469 27.7 SHOULD 12 1071 63.2 MISSING 13 5 .3 ------- ----- Total responses 1695 100.0 9. The next question is about the Government's plan to end compulsory military training. What do you think we should do - give ALL young men military training - OR - continue to call up 15,000 young men a year - OR - cut out compulsory military training altogether? Category label Code Count Percent ALL YOUNG MEN 1 816 48.1 15,000 A YEAR 2 341 20.1 ABOLISH IT 3 459 27.1 NO OPINION 4 76 4.5 MISSING 5 3 .2 ------- ----- Total responses 1695 100.0 10. And a question about capital punishment. Do you think a person convicted of a BRUTAL MURDER should be hanged, or not? Category label Code Count Percent YES, HANG 7 1097 64.7 NO 8 423 25.0 UNDECIDED 9 175 10.3 ------- ----- Total responses 1695 100.0 11. And here's a really big question to end with. It's about world problems. What would you say is THE really big issue facing the World today? Category label Code Count Percent WORLD PROBLEMS - WAR Q111 235 13.9 WORLD PROBLEMS - COMMUNISM Q112 246 14.5 WORLD PROBLEMS - RELIGION Q113 35 2.1 WORLD PROBLEMS - ATOM BOMBS Q114 270 15.9 WORLD PROBLEMS - COLD WAR Q115 235 13.9 WORLD PROBLEMS - DISARMAMENT Q116 106 6.3 WORLD PROBLEMS - COLOR, RACE Q117 289 17.1 WORLD PROBLEMS - ASIA Q118 164 9.7 WORLD PROBLEMS - POPULATION Q119 26 1.5 WORLD PROBLEMS - ROCKETS Q110 27 1.6 WORLD PROBLEMS - ALL OTHER Q11X 41 2.4 WORLD PROBLEMS - NO IDEA Q11V 78 4.6 ------- ----- Total responses 1695 100.0
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