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People have different images of the world and human nature. We'd like to know the kinds of images you have. Here is a card with sets of contrasting images. On a scale of 1-7 where would you place your image of the world and human nature between the two contrasting images? (HAND CARD AH) Look at the first set of contrasting images. If you think that "The world is basically filled with evil and sin," you would place yourself at 1. If you think "There is much goodness in the world which hints at God's goodness" you would place yourself at 7. If you think things are somewhere between these two you would place yourself at 2, 3,4, 5 or 6. (REPEAT EXAMPLE AS NECESSARY FOR EACH ITEM A-F) Where would you place your image of the world on the scale for . . .? (READ EACH SET AND CIRCLE ONE CODE FOR EACH)
Image of human nature as good or corrupt · Asked in 9 waves, 1985–1998 · 12,033 responses · weighted estimates computed from individual responses
Shares of people who gave an answer. Each column is one wave, evenly spaced rather than to scale in time; hover for exact shares.
| Group | People are good | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | People are evil | n | MoE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Field dates | Mode | Respondents | Responses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Social Survey 1998 | 1998-02-01 to 1998-06-19 | face to face | 2,832 | 1,445 |
| General Social Survey 1996 | 1996-02-01 to 1996-05-25 | face to face | 2,904 | 991 |
| General Social Survey 1994 | 1994-01-04 to 1994-06-29 | face to face | 2,992 | 1,470 |
| General Social Survey 1991 | 1991-02-09 to 1991-05-06 | face to face | 1,517 | 1,359 |
| General Social Survey 1990 | 1990-02-06 to 1990-04-22 | face to face | 1,372 | 928 |
| General Social Survey 1989 | 1989-02-04 to 1989-05-01 | face to face | 1,537 | 1,006 |
| General Social Survey 1988 | 1988-02-12 to 1988-04-26 | face to face | 1,481 | 1,481 |
| General Social Survey 1987 | 1987-01-31 to 1987-04-28 | face to face | 1,819 | 1,819 |
| General Social Survey 1985 | 1985-02-09 to 1985-04-23 | face to face | 1,534 | 1,534 |
Shares of people who gave an answer. A group’s column is left blank in waves where its effective sample is under 50; hover for exact shares.
| All respondents |
| 15% |
| 20% |
| 20% |
| 26% |
| 8% |
| 4% |
| 7% |
| 1445 |
| ±3 |
| Democrats | 14% | 20% | 23% | 25% | 8% | 4% | 6% | 490 | ±5 |
| Independents (incl. leaners) | 12% | 20% | 18% | 32% | 9% | 4% | 5% | 537 | ±5 |
| Republicans | 19% | 22% | 19% | 20% | 8% | 3% | 9% | 374 | ±6 |
General Social Survey 1998 · US adults 18+ living in households (English, and Spanish since 2006). Shares of people who gave an answer. n is unweighted; ± is the 95% margin of error at 50% from the weighted effective sample. Groups with an effective sample under 50 are grayed; under 20, hidden.