D0179: Australian Gallup Poll, November 12, 1958
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 1,760 interviews conducted in November 1958. 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 / WEIGHTING The responses are unweighted. A weighting variable (WEIGHT) is included in the data file to indicate the interviewer workloads selected for duplication. THEMES - NAMES AND RESPONSES 1a. The first question is about shops on Saturday morning. Do you think FOOD shops should be open, or closed, on Saturday morning? Category label Code Count Percent DONT CARE 0 80 4.5 CLOSED 11 250 14.2 OPEN 12 1430 81.3 ------- ----- Total responses 1760 100.0 1b. And what about DRAPERS and department stores? Should they be open, or closed, on Saturday morning? Category label Code Count Percent OPEN 1 1086 61.7 CLOSED 2 513 29.1 DONT CARE 3 161 9.1 ------- ----- Total responses 1760 100.0 1c. And banks? - Should they be open, or closed, on Saturday morning? Category label Code Count Percent MISSING 0 3 .2 OPEN 4 1199 68.1 CLOSED 5 425 24.1 DONT CARE 6 133 7.6 ------- ----- Total responses 1760 100.0 1d. (Do you) Does your husband) work Saturday mornings? Category label Code Count Cases WORK ON SAT MORNINGS Q1D1 558 32.9 HUSBAND WORKS ON SAT MORNINGS Q1D2 159 9.4 NEITHER WORKS ON SAT MORNINGS Q1D3 993 58.6 ------- ----- Total responses 1760 100.0 2a. The next question is about prices. If WAGES rise, do you think PRICES can be kept from rising? Category label Code Count Percent NO IDEA 0 150 8.5 NO 11 1145 65.1 YES 12 465 26.4 ------- ----- Total responses 1760 100.0 2b. What do you think prices will be like 5 years from now? For instance, take food now costing 10 pounds - will it still cost about 10 pounds in 5 years - or will it cost more than 10 pounds, or less? Category label Code Count Percent ABOUT 10 POUNDS 1 241 13.7 MORE THAN 10 POUNDS 2 894 50.8 LESS THAN 10 POUNDS 3 206 11.7 NO IDEA 4 419 23.8 ------- ----- Total responses 1760 100.0 2c. IF "MORE" OR "LESS": About how much (more) (less)? Category label Code Count Percent 10 POUNDS 0 53 3.0 1 POUND 1 203 11.5 2 369 21.0 3 140 8.0 4 35 2.0 5 172 9.8 6 5 .3 7 1 .1 8 2 .1 CANT SAY 11 115 6.5 OVER 10 POUNDS 12 5 .3 NOT ASKED 13 660 37.5 ------- ----- Total responses 1760 100.0 3. Now an unusual question - about the 100,000 pound offer to Herb Elliott, the mile runner, to become a professional in America. In your opinion, did he make the RIGHT decision in remaining an amateur, or should he have accepted the professional offer? Category label Code Count Percent UNDECIDED 0 350 19.9 PROFESSIONAL 11 589 33.5 AMATEUR 12 821 46.6 ------- ----- Total responses 1760 100.0 4a. And now a question about naturalisation. Before being naturalised and becoming entitled to vote, do you feel New Australians should, or should not, have to show they understand English reasonably well? Category label Code Count Percent YES SHOULD 1 1644 93.4 NO 2 91 5.2 UNDECIDED 3 25 1.4 ------- ----- Total responses 1760 100.0 4b. When speaking among themselves in the street and other public places, do you think New Australians who know English should speak English - or is it all right for them to use their own language? Category label Code Count Percent ENGLISH 4 1262 71.7 THEIR OWN 5 415 23.6 UNDECIDED 6 83 4.7 ------- ----- Total responses 1760 100.0 5a. Whether you vote Labor or not, which group in the Labor Party do you think is right? - Dr Evatt and the ALP, or the Democratic Labor Party? Category label Code Count Percent EVATT ALP 7 738 41.9 DLP 8 471 26.8 NO OPINION 9 551 31.3 ------- ----- Total responses 1760 100.0 5b. The next question is to see how accurately we can forecast the Federal election. Judging by how you feel now, which Party do you think you would probably vote for - Liberal, Country, Australian Labor, Democratic Labor, Communist, or Independent? Category label Code Count Percent LIBERAL CP 4 804 45.7 ALP 5 722 41.0 DEM LABOUR 6 103 5.9 INDEPENDENT 8 6 .3 UNDECIDED 9 125 7.1 ------- ----- Total responses 1760 100.0 5c. Do you think there's any chance you'll change your mind and vote for another Party? Category label Code Count Percent YES 4 111 6.3 NO 5 1533 87.1 MISSING 6 116 6.6 ------- ----- Total responses 1760 100.0 5d. If 'YES': Which Party might you change to? Category label Code Count Percent LIBERAL CP 6 34 1.9 ALP 7 36 2.0 DEM LABOR 8 19 1.1 NOT ASKED 9 1649 93.7 MISSING 10 22 1.3 ------- ----- Total responses 1760 100.0 7a. And now a question about television. Have you (ever) seen TV? IF "YES": A lot, or only occasionally? Category label Code Count Percent NEVER 0 498 28.3 OCCASIONALLY 11 799 45.4 LOT 12 463 26.3 ------- ----- Total responses 1760 100.0 7b. Do you think it (is) (would be) good entertainment, or not? Category label Code Count Percent GOOD 1 1293 73.5 NOT GOOD 2 284 16.1 NO OPINION 3 183 10.4 ------- ----- Total responses 1760 100.0 8a. The next question is about preference for unionists. If jobs became scarce, do you think members of trade unions should, or should not, have FIRST preference for jobs, over non-unionists? Category label Code Count Percent YES SHOULD 4 979 55.6 NO 5 567 32.2 UNDECIDED 6 214 12.2 ------- ----- Total responses 1760 100.0 8b. In your opinion, should membership of trade unions be compulsory, or voluntary? Category label Code Count Percent COMPULSORY 7 524 29.8 VOLUNTARY 8 1109 63.0 UNDECIDED 9 127 7.2 ------- ----- Total responses 1760 100.0 8c. (Are you) (Is your husband) a member of a trade union? Category label Code Count Percent RESPONDENT UNION MEMBER Q8C1 558 33.0 HUSBAND UNION MEMBER Q8C2 247 14.6 NEITHER ARE UNION MEMBERS Q8C3 902 53.4 ------- ----- Total responses 1760 100.0 9a. And now about the administration of churches. In your opinion, who should run churches? - Priests and other clergymen, or members of the congregation? Category label Code Count Percent PRIESTS AND CLERGY Q9A1 647 36.8 CONGREGATION Q9A2 982 55.8 NO OPINION Q9A3 227 12.9 ------- ----- Total responses 1760 100.0 9b. If "CONGREGATION": Should women be included in the administrators? Category label Code Count Percent YES 4 885 50.3 NO 5 70 4.0 UNDECIDED 6 26 1.5 MISSING 7 779 44.3 ------- ----- Total responses 1760 100.0 9c. ASK EVERYONE: To help classify answers to this question, would you mind telling me your religion? Category label Code Count Percent ROMAN CATHOLIC 1 348 19.8 CHURCH ENGLAND 2 713 40.5 PRESBYTERIAN 3 253 14.4 METHODIST 4 246 14.0 BAPTIST 5 24 1.4 PROTESTANT 6 9 .5 OTHER CHRISTIAN 7 88 5.0 NON-CHRISTIAN 8 14 .8 NO RELIGION 9 18 1.0 MISSING 10 47 2.7 ------- ----- Total responses 1760 100.0 10. Recently there's been a lot in the papers about the Nationalist Chinese in Quemoy, Matsu and other small islands near the Chinese coast. Do you think the Nationalist Chinese should REMAIN in those islands - or leave and go to Formosa? Category label Code Count Percent REMAIN 7 707 40.2 LEAVE 8 337 19.1 NO OPINION 9 716 40.7 ------- ----- Total responses 1760 100.0
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