AsiaBarometer, 2008

Summary:  View help for Summary The AsiaBarometer, 2008 represents a cross-national effort to study the lives of the peoples of Australia, China, India, Japan, Russia and the United States of America on physical, psychological, and sociological dimensions. The project was designed to capture the extent to which respondents experience the affective and cognitive qualities of life, focusing on their assessments of their own lives as well as their relationships to family, neighborhood, workplace, social institutions, political institutions, and the marketplace. Attitudes toward development, democracy, and regionalization were examined, as were the types of goods and services desired and consumer habits. Respondents were queried on their overall personal satisfaction as well as their satisfaction with their friendships, family life, marriage, standard of living, housing, household income, health, education, neighbors, job, leisure time, public safety, the condition of the environment, the social welfare system, and the political system. Data were gathered on the respondents' personal priorities and those they had for their children, as well as their level of trust in others, their inclination to help others, and what characteristics and affiliations they used to identify themselves. Respondents were asked to rate the efficacy of their national governments in handling the economy, political corruption, human rights, unemployment, crime, public services, immigration, ethnic conflict, religious conflict, and environmental problems. Additional questions asked whether government officials were responsive to problems of the general population, what type of political systems respondents favored, and the extent to which the national government, the local government, the army, the legal system, the police, the national legislative branch (e.g., Parliament, Congress), the public education system, large domestic companies, multinational companies, trade/labor unions, the media, and other nongovernmental organizations (e.g., environmental, social advocacy groups, and nonprofit organizations) could be trusted to operate in the best interests of society. Participants were asked which macro-socioeconomic issues they were most concerned with and what matters they believed the government should spend more or less on. Respondents were polled on their level of personal involvement in political, governmental, and community affairs, the inclusiveness of the government, and their perspectives on the importance of political and electoral participation. Additional questions addressed respondent exposure to and opinions of foreign companies, peoples, governments, and cultures. Market analysis inquiries included what products respondents owned, planned to own in the near future, or desired to own, as well as what consumer services they had used or would like to use. Respondents were asked about their modes of transportation, their current types of residence, whether or not they planned to own their own residences, and the availability of public utilities. Respondents were surveyed on what foreign and domestic companies they were familiar with and which forms of media they used to obtain consumer and political information. Background information includes age, sex, occupation, employment status, household income, family structure, number of people in household, number of children, education, marital status, English proficiency, religious affiliation, and religious participation.

Funding Sources:  View help for Funding Sources Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Japan) (17002002)

Subject Terms:  View help for Subject Terms Governance; Democratic Consolidation/Regression; Social Virtues; Happiness; Quality of Life; International Alignments; New Middle Class; Religiousty; Mass Media; Identity; Globalization

Geographic Coverage:  View help for Geographic Coverage Australia, China, India, Japan, Russia, The United States of America

Time Period(s):  View help for Time Period(s) 6/2007 – 8/2007

Collection Date(s):  View help for Collection Date(s) 6/2007 – 8/2007

Universe:  View help for Universe All adults aged of 20-69 in each country.

Data Type(s):  View help for Data Type(s) survey data

Collection Notes:  View help for Collection Notes

• The questionnaire is formulated in English first. This common questionnaire is then translated into local languages by local survey companies. Local language questionnaires are checked by back translation.
• The survey was conducted by Nippon Research Center, Ltd. in Tokyo and its partners in each country.

Response Rate:  View help for Response Rate For response rates in each country, please review the "Sampling Performance".

Sampling:  View help for Sampling Multi-stage-stratified random sampling and quota sampling. Please review the "Fieldwork Reports" for more details about sampling by country.

Collection Mode(s):  View help for Collection Mode(s) face-to-face interview

Unit(s) of Observation:  View help for Unit(s) of Observation individual

Geographic Unit:  View help for Geographic Unit Please review the "Fieldwork Reports" by country.