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Built from public survey data: the GSS, ANES, CES, the Census Bureau’s CPS supplements and Household Pulse Survey, the Federal Reserve’s SHED, the New York Fed’s Survey of Consumer Expectations, and Pew Research Center. Estimates computed here are weighted; see each source page for methods and citations. Survey of Consumer Expectations data: © 2013–2026 Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which disclaims responsibility for this analysis.

Data disclaimer & corrections More from Numerate Choir

ANES 1978 Time Series Study

Source: ANES
Field dates: 1978-11-08 to 1979-01-25 (day precision)
Mode: face to face
Population: US citizens 18+ living in households in the contiguous 48 states
Geography: National
Respondents: 2,304
Sample design: Interview modes (respondents): personal 2,304.
Weight: VCF0009z, the CDF combined-sample weight ('1970 type 0; 2012-2024 full sample'), rescaled to mean 1. All cases weight 1 this year (self-weighting sample).
Notes: Post-election-only study (midterm year; election Nov. 7). Field dates are the earliest and latest interview dates implied by VCF1015/VCF1016 (days before/after the election); those variables code 99 as NA, so interviews 99+ days after the election would be missed.
Data: https://electionstudies.org/data-center/anes-time-series-cumulative-data-file/

Questions asked (258)

opinion behavior demographic all

Trust & government › Trust in the federal government

Trust in federal government to do what is right
Trust in government index
Whether government officials know what they are doing

Trust & government › Political efficacy & responsiveness

Congress members lose touch with the people
Expected helpfulness of House incumbent with a problem
Expected helpfulness of House representative with a problem
External political efficacy index
Got a response from House incumbent after contacting
Got a response from House representative after contacting
Government responsiveness index
Government run by few big interests or for all
How much attention Congress members pay to constituents
How much attention government pays to what people think
How much elections make government pay attention to people
How much parties make government pay attention to people
Officials care what people like me think
Other person got response from House incumbent
Other person got response from House representative
Other person's satisfaction with House incumbent's response
Other person's satisfaction with House representative's response
Parties only interested in votes, not opinions
People like me have no say in government
Politics seems too complicated to understand
Satisfaction with House incumbent's response
Satisfaction with House representative's response
Voting is the only way to have a say

Trust & government › Corruption & waste

How many government officials are crooked
How much government wastes tax money

Trust & government › Role & size of government

Federal government too powerful
Government guarantee of jobs and living standard scale
President's position on guaranteed jobs and living standard

Trust & government › Government performance & approval

Approval of the president's job performance
Government handling of the most important problem
Most important national problem, first mention

Economy, work, & money › Personal finances

Expected financial situation a year from now
Financially better or worse off than a year ago

Economy, work, & money › Inflation & prices

Party better at handling inflation

Economy, work, & money › Jobs & work

Party better at handling unemployment

Economy, work, & money › Inequality & mobility

Average or upper middle or working class
Self-identified social class, 8 categories
Thinks of self as member of a social class

Economy, work, & money › Unions & labor

Household member belongs to a labor union
Who in household belongs to a union, 4 categories

Economy, work, & money › Housing & homeownership

Family owns home or rents

Politics & elections › Party & ideology

Democratic Party on equal role for women
Democratic Party on government aid to blacks
Democratic Party on government guaranteeing jobs and living standard
Democratic Party on rights of the accused
Dislikes anything about the Democratic Party
Dislikes anything about the Republican Party
Feeling thermometer: Democratic Party
Feeling thermometer: Republican Party
Liberal-conservative self-placement
Liberal-conservative self-placement, collapsed
Likes anything about the Democratic Party
Likes anything about the Republican Party
Net affect toward the Democratic Party
Net affect toward the Republican Party
Net affect toward the major parties
Number of things disliked about the Democratic Party
Number of things disliked about the Republican Party
Number of things liked about the Democratic Party
Number of things liked about the Republican Party
Party better at handling most important problem
Party identification, 3 categories
Party identification, 7-point scale
Party identification, initial response
Party of registration, post-election
Placement of the Democratic Party on liberal-conservative scale
Placement of the Republican Party on liberal-conservative scale

Politics & elections › Participation & engagement

Any contact with Democratic House candidate
Any contact with Democratic House candidate
Any contact with House challenger
Any contact with House incumbent
Any contact with House incumbent running
Any contact with Republican House candidate
Any contact with Republican House candidate
Any contact with challenger to House incumbent
Attended event where Republican House candidate spoke
Attended meeting where Democratic House candidate spoke
Attended meeting where House challenger spoke
Attended meeting where House incumbent spoke
Attended political meetings or rallies during campaign
Belongs to a political club or organization
Campaign participation count, four categories
Campaign participation count, six categories
Cares which party wins the House election
Contacted House incumbent to express an opinion
Contacted House incumbent to seek help with a problem
Contacted House incumbent to seek information
Contacted House representative to express an opinion
Contacted House representative to seek help with a problem
Contacted House representative to seek information
Contacted by any major party about campaign
Contacted by the Democratic Party about campaign

Politics & elections › Vote choice

Winner of the House race in district

Politics & elections › Candidates & political figures

Correctly names House candidates and their parties
Feeling thermometer for George Wallace
Feeling thermometer for Gerald Ford
Feeling thermometer for Jimmy Carter
Feeling thermometer for Richard Nixon
Feeling thermometer for Ronald Reagan
Feeling thermometer for Ted Kennedy
Feeling thermometer for Walter Mondale
Feeling thermometer for first senator, no Senate race
Feeling thermometer for second senator, no Senate race
Feeling thermometer for senator in state with Senate race
Feeling thermometer for the U.S. president
Feeling thermometer for the vice president
Recalls names of House candidates in district
Recalls something special House incumbent did for district
Recalls something special House representative did for district

Politics & elections › Polarization & partisan feelings

Average party thermometer rating, both major parties
Major party thermometer index

Social & moral issues › Abortion

When abortion should be allowed, personal view

Race, immigration, & identity › Race relations & racial attitudes

Government aid to blacks and minorities scale
Government role in school integration
President's position on government aid to Blacks
Segregation or desegregation

Gender & family › Gender roles

Equal Rights Amendment approval
Equal role for women scale
President's position on women's equal role

Religion › Belief & practice

Frequency of religious service attendance, 1970 onward
Religion, major group
Religious denomination, 7 categories, 1960-1988

Health & health care › Health care policy

Democratic Party placement on government health insurance scale
Government vs. private health insurance scale
President's position on government health insurance
Republican Party placement on government health insurance scale

Crime & justice › Courts & punishment

Rights of the accused vs. stopping crime

Media & information › News media

Count of campaign media types used
Listened to campaign programs on the radio
Listened to radio programs about the campaign
Read magazine articles about the campaign
Read newspaper articles about the campaign
Reads a daily newspaper
Watched TV programs about the campaign

Background & demographics › Demographics

Census region
Education of household head, 1962-1986
Family income percentile group
Hispanic origin
Hispanic origin type
Length of residence in community
Length of residence in current home
Marital status
Number of children ages 10-13 in household
Number of children ages 14-17 in household
Number of children ages 6-9 in household
Number of children in family
Number of children under age 6 in household
Number of politically eligible adults in household
Political South or non-South region
Race and ethnicity, four categories
Race and ethnicity, seven categories
Race, three categories
Respondent age
Respondent age group
Respondent birth cohort
Respondent education level, four categories
Respondent gender
Respondent's education, 6 categories
Respondent's education, 7 categories
Urban, suburban, or rural residence

Background & demographics › Occupation & employment status

Household head work status, five categories
Household head work status, seven categories
Respondent occupation group
Respondent work status, five categories
Respondent work status, seven categories
Respondent's occupation group, 5 categories

Background & demographics › Family background

Father's occupation while growing up, 1978-1996
Father's occupation while respondent was growing up
Grew up in a large city
Grew up on a farm or in the country
Mother's occupation while growing up, 1978-1982
Party identification of respondent's father
Party identification of respondent's mother
Type of community grew up in, 1978-2000
Whether both parents were born in the U.S.

President's liberal-conservative placement

Relative salience of the major parties

Republican Party on equal role for women

Republican Party on government aid to blacks

Republican Party on government guaranteeing jobs and living standard

Republican Party on rights of the accused

Respondent party and House incumbent party

Salience of the Democratic Party

Salience of the Republican Party

Salience of the major parties

Strength of party identification

Which party favors stronger government

Which party favors stronger government, with no opinion

Contacted by the Republican Party about campaign

Contacted by which major party about campaign

Correct on which House candidate was the incumbent

Correct recall of first Senate candidate name

Correct recall of second Senate candidate name

Correct recall of third Senate candidate name

Displayed campaign button, sticker, or sign

Donated money to a party or candidate during campaign

Ever contacted House representative or office

Ever contacted running House incumbent or office

Heard Democratic House candidate on the radio

Heard House challenger on the radio

Heard House incumbent on the radio

Heard Republican House candidate on the radio

Importance of voting when your party can't win

Interest in political campaigns

Interest in public affairs

Knew which party held House majority before election

Knew which party won House majority in election

Knows someone who contacted Democratic House candidate

Knows someone who contacted House challenger

Knows someone who contacted House incumbent

Knows someone who contacted House incumbent

Knows someone who contacted House representative

Knows someone who contacted Republican House candidate

Knows whether a House candidate was already in office

Met Democratic House candidate personally

Met House challenger personally

Met House incumbent personally

Met Republican House candidate personally

Number of House candidate names correctly recalled

Number of Senate candidate names correctly recalled

Number of contacts with Democratic House candidate

Number of contacts with House incumbent running

Number of contacts with Republican House candidate

Number of contacts with challenger to House incumbent

Party of recalled House candidates

Read about Democratic House candidate in print media

Read about House challenger in newspaper or magazine

Read about House incumbent in newspaper or magazine

Read about Republican House candidate in print media

Recall of House candidate names, second mention

Recall of House candidate names, third mention

Recalled House candidate from own or other party

Recalls names of U.S. Senate candidates

Received mail from Democratic House candidate

Received mail from House challenger

Received mail from House incumbent

Received mail from Republican House candidate

Registered to vote

Registration and turnout summary

Saw Democratic House candidate on TV

Saw House challenger on TV

Saw House incumbent on TV

Saw Republican House candidate on TV

Self-reported voter registration status

Self-reported voter turnout

Talked to Democratic House candidate's staff

Talked to House challenger's staff

Talked to House incumbent's staff

Talked to staff of Republican House candidate

Tried to persuade others how to vote during campaign

Voted in the national election

Whether it matters if I vote when others do

Whether many local elections are unimportant

Whether people who don't care about the outcome should vote

Worked for a party or candidate during campaign