International Social Survey Programme 2008: Religion III (ISSP 2008)

Content: attitudes towards religious practices.Topics: assessment of personal happiness; attitudes towards pre-maritalsexual intercourse; attitudes towards committed adultery; attitudestowards homosexual relationships between adults; attitudes towardsabortion in case of serious disability or illness of the baby or lowincome of the family; attitudes towards gender roles in marriage; trustin institutions (parliament, business and industry, churches andreligious organizations, courts and the legal system, schools and theeducational system); mobility; attitudes towards the influence ofreligious leaders on voters and government; attitudes towards thebenefits of science and religion (scale: modern science does more harmthan good, too much trust in science and not enough in religious faith,religions bring more conflicts than peace, intolerance of people withvery strong religious beliefs); judgement on the power of churches andreligious organizations; attitudes towards equal rights for allreligious groups in the country and respect for all religions;acceptance of persons from a different religion or with differentreligious views in case of marrying a relative or being a candidate ofthe preferred political party (social distance); attitudes towards theallowance for religious extremists to hold public meetings and topublish books expressing their views (freedom of expression); doubt orfirm belief in God (deism, scale); belief in: a life after death,heaven, hell, religious miracles, reincarnation, Nirvana, supernaturalpowers of deceased ancestors; attitudes towards a higher truth andtowards meaning of life (scale: God is concerned with every human beingpersonally, little that people can do to change the course of theirlives (fatalism), life is meaningful only because God exists, life doesnot serve any purpose, life is only meaningful if someone provides themeaning himself, connection with God without churches or religiousservices); religious preference (affiliation) of mother, father andspouse/partner; religion respondent was raised in; frequency ofchurch attendance (of attendance in religious services) of father andmother; personal frequency of church attendance when young; frequencyof prayers and participation in religious activities; shrine, altar ora religious object in respondent’s home; frequency of visiting a holyplace (shrine, temple, church or mosque) for religious reasons exceptregular religious services; self-classification of personalreligiousness and spirituality; truth in one or in all religions;attitudes towards the profits of practicing a religion (scale: findinginner peace and happiness, making friends, gaining comfort in times oftrouble and sorrow, meeting the right kind of people).Optional items (not stated in all countries): questions in countrieswith an appreciable number of Evangelical Protestants): ´born-again´Christian; attitudes towards the Bible (or appropriate holy book);questions generally applicable for all countries: conversion of faithafter crucial experience; personal sacrifice as an expression of faithsuch as fasting or following a special diet during holy season such asLent or Ramadan; concept of God (semantic differential scale: mother -father, master - spouse, judge - lover, friend - king); belief in luckycharms, fortune tellers, faith healers and horoscopes; social rules orGod’s laws as basis for deciding between right and wrong; attitudestowards members of different religious groups (Christians, Muslims,Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, Atheists or non-believers.Demography: sex; age; marital status; steady life partner; years ofschooling; highest education level; country specific education anddegree; current employment status (respondent and partner); hoursworked weekly; occupation (ISCO 1988) (respondent and partner);supervising function at work; working for private or public sector orself-employed (respondent and partner); if self-employed: number ofemployees; trade union membership; earnings of respondent (countryspecific); family income (country specific); size of household;household composition; party affiliation (left-right); country specificparty affiliation; participation in last election; religiousdenomination; religious main groups; attendance of religious services;self-placement on a top-bottom scale; region (country specific); sizeof community (country specific); type of community: urban-rural area;country of origin or ethnic group affiliation.Additionally coded: administrative mode of data-collection; weightingfactor; case substitution.