A survey conducted in February 2025 found that the most important issue for 24 percent of Americans was inflation and prices. A further 12 percent of respondents were most concerned about jobs and the economy.

According to a 2023 survey, young adults in the United States were divided when it came to important political issues. However, more than half of Americans between 18 and 34 considered the cost of living and inflation the most important political issue.

According to a survey from late December 2024, the two most important issues among Republican voters in the United States were inflation and immigration, with 25 and 22 percent ranking it their primary political concerns respectively. In contrast, only two percent of Democrats considered immigration their most important issue. Inflation and healthcare were the leading issues among democrats in the U.S.

According to a 2023 survey, inflation and gas prices were the most important issues for Gen Z and Millennial voters in the United States. Additionally, nearly one-third of voters between 18 and 34 years old considered abortion a top political issue heading into the 2024 election.

Supplementary Empirical Teaching Units in Political Science (SETUPS) for American Politics are computer-related modules designed for use in teaching introductory courses in American government and politics. The modules are intended to demonstrate the process of examining evidence and reaching conclusions and to stimulate students to independent, critical thinking and a deeper understanding of substantive content. They enable students with no previous training to make use of the computer to analyze data on political behavior or to see the results of policy decisions by use of a simulation model. The SETUPS: AMERICAN POLITICS modules were developed by a group of political scientists with experience in teaching introductory American government courses who were brought together in a workshop supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation in the summer of 1974. The American Political Science Association administered the grant, and the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research was host to the workshop and provided data for most of the SETUPS. The modules were tested and evaluated during the 1974-1975 academic year by students and faculty in 155 classes at 69 universities and colleges. Appropriate revisions were made based upon this experience. This collection comprises 15 separate modules: (1) Political Socialization Across the Generations, (2) Political Participation, (3) Voting Behavior, The 1980 Election, (4) Elections and the Mass Media, (5) The Supreme Court in American Politics, Court Decisions, (6) The Supreme Court in American Politics, Police Interrogations, (7) The Dynamics of Political Budgeting, A Public Policy Simulation, State Expenditures, (8) The Dynamics of Political Budgeting, A Public Policy Simulation, SIMSTATE Simulation, (9) The Dynamics of Political Budgeting, A Public Policy Simulation, SIMSTATE II Simulation, (10) Fear of Crime, (11) Presidential Popularity in America, Presidential Popularity, (12) Presidential Popularity in America, Advanced Analyses, (13) Campaign '80, The Public and the Presidential Selection Process, (14) Voting Behavior, The 1976 Election, and (15) Policy Responsiveness and Fiscal Strain in 51 American Communities. Parts 8 and 9 are FORTRAN IV program SIMSTATE sourcedecks intended to simulate the interaction of state policies. Variables in the various modules provide information on respondents' level of political involvement and knowledge of political issues, general political attitudes and beliefs, news media exposure and usage, voting behavior (Parts 1, 2, and 3), and sectional biases (15). Other items provide information on respondents' views of government, politics, Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter as presidents, best form of government, government spending (Part 3), local police, the Supreme Court (Parts 4 and 15), the economy, and domestic and foreign affairs. Additional items probed respondents' opinions of prayer in school, abortion, the Equal Rights Amendment Law, nuclear energy, and the most important national problem and the political party most suitable to handle it (Part 3). Also included are items on votes of Supreme Court judges (Part 5), arrest of criminal suspects and their treatment by law enforcement agencies (Part 6), federal government expenditures and budgeting (Part 7), respondents' feelings of safety at home, neighborhood crime rate, frequency of various kinds of criminal victimization, the personal characteristics of the targets of those crimes (Part 10), respondents' opinions of and choice of party presidential candidates nominees (Part 13), voter turnout for city elections (15), urban unrest, and population growth rate. Demographic items specify age, sex, race, marital status, education, occupation, income, social class identification, religion, political party affiliation, and union membership.

This poll, conducted August 1996, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on a range of political and social issues. Views were gathered on the 1996 presidential and congressional elections, as well as on President Bill Clinton and his handling of the presidency, the economy, and foreign affairs. Respondents were polled on whether they were better or worse off financially compared to three years ago, whether it was more important to cut federal taxes or balance the federal budget, and whether they supported middle class tax cuts, even if it meant cutting spending on federal programs. Questions involving the upcoming presidential election polled respondents on the likelihood that they would vote, whom they would vote for (President Bill Clinton, Republican Bob Dole, or Reform Party candidate Ross Perot), whether each candidate had the qualities needed to be an effective president, the success of their political campaigns, and who the Republican vice-presidential candidate should be. Opinions were solicited on whether the presidential candidates had a vision for the future of the country, had high moral and ethical standards, cared about people like the respondent, had new ideas, and stood up for what they believed in, and which one would do a better job handling issues such as the economy, crime, the environment, and Medicare. Respondents were queried on whether they would vote for a Democratic or Republican candidate in the upcoming United States House of Representatives election, whether they approved of the way the United States Congress was doing its job, and whether Pat Buchanan should be allowed to make a speech at the Republican convention. Respondents were also asked which political party best represented their ideal of how the United States should be governed, whether the views of each party were too conservative or too liberal, whether respondents supported Ross Perot's new Reform Party, and whether the country needed a new political party. Views were also elicited on issues such as a federal balanced budget amendment, the death penalty, congressional term limits, gun control, organized prayer in public schools, a flat-tax system, recent changes to the welfare system, affirmative action, gay rights, and whether respondents would prefer a smaller government with fewer services or a larger government with many services. Several questions addressed whether abortion should be legal, whether the Republican vice-presidential candidate should support legal abortion, and whether the Republican platform should support a constitutional amendment to ban abortion. Other topics addressed respondents' level of confidence in the United States government to prevent future terrorist attacks, how worried they were about the possibility of major terrorist attacks in the United States, and whether the government should mount a war against terrorism, even if it cost billions of dollars and intruded on personal freedoms. Background variables include sex, age, ethnicity, marital status, employment status, education, religion, household income, social class, subjective size of community, labor union membership, political orientation, political party affiliation, and voter registration and participation history.

This poll, conducted June 22-25, 2006, is part of a continuing series of monthly polls that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way President George W. Bush was handling the presidency and issues such as the economy and the situation in Iraq. Several questions asked which political party respondents trusted to handle the main problems the country would face in the next few years, whether they would vote for a Democrat or Republican candidate if the November 2006 election for the United States House of Representatives were being held that day, and which issue was most important in their vote. Views were sought on the war in Iraq and whether it had improved the lives of the Iraqi people, encouraged democracy in other Arab nations, and contributed to the long-term security of the United States. Respondents were polled on whether the Bush Administration and the Democrats in the United States Congress had a clear plan for handling the situation in Iraq, how well the United States campaign against terrorism was going, whether the country was safer from terrorism than before September 11, 2001, and whether President Bush would be remembered more for the United States campaign against terrorism or the war in Iraq. A series of questions asked respondents whether they approved of the way United States military forces in Iraq were doing their job, whether a deadline should be set for their withdrawal from Iraq, and respondents' reactions to the alleged killings of Iraqi civilians by United States military forces. Additional topics addressed the death penalty, the federal government's detention of suspected terrorists without trial in the United States military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the federal government's progress in its efforts to rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, education level, household income, political party affiliation, political philosophy, voter registration status, religious preference, and whether respondents considered themselves born-again or evangelical Christians.

In a 2024 survey on the most pressing issues in German politics, around 26 percent of respondents named immigration and dealing with refugees as one of the most relevant issues, that German society and politics were facing at the moment. Around 21 percent of people said it was the war in Ukraine and relations with Russia, making it the second most pressing issue, followed by the economy in third place.

Worldwide, United States president Joe Biden received the highest approval for his handling of global economic problems and climate change. However, a larger share disapproved of his handling of all major policy fields listed than those who approved of it. His handling of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza received the highest disapproval.

This poll, fielded July 20-23, 2000, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked whether they intended to vote in the November 7, 2000, presidential election and for whom they would vote if the election were held that day, given a choice between Vice President Al Gore (Democratic Party), Texas governor George W. Bush (Republican Party), conservative commentator Pat Buchanan (Reform Party), and consumer advocate Ralph Nader (Green Party). Respondents were asked to assess the importance of the following issues in their electoral decision-making and to specify which candidate they most trusted to do a better job addressing them: holding taxes down, protecting the Social Security system, improving education, improving the health care system, handling the economy, handling gun control, handling foreign affairs, encouraging high moral standards and values, handling the death penalty issue, protecting people's privacy on the Internet, handling the federal budget surplus, managing the federal budget, handling crime, protecting the environment, addressing women's issues, and appointing justices to the Supreme Court. Views were sought on whether presidential debates should be held, which candidates should be invited to participate, and whether respondents were satisfied with the presidential candidates. In addition, respondents were asked which candidate understood the problems of the American people, was a strong leader, would bring needed change to Washington, had the knowledge of world affairs it takes to serve effectively as president, could keep the economy strong, would say or do anything to get elected, had new ideas, said what he really thought, was honest and trustworthy, had an appealing personality, and had the right kind of experience to be president. Those queried were asked whether a difference existed between Gore and Bush on the issues about which the respondent cared and their personal qualities. Opinions were elicited on whether the top priority for the federal budget surplus should be cutting federal taxes, reducing the national debt, strengthening Social Security, or increasing spending on domestic programs. Additional questions covered abortion and the impact of Bush's naming a running mate who supported legalized abortion, Bush's handling of the death penalty while governor of Texas, voter intentions regarding the 2000 Congressional elections, whether a smaller government with fewer services is preferred to a larger government with many services, whether the country should continue to move in the direction that Clinton established, and whether it mattered who was elected president. Background information on respondents includes age, gender, political party, political orientation, voter registration and participation history, education, religion, labor union membership, Hispanic origin, household income, and neighborhood characteristics.

This dataset covers ballots 351-53, and 355-56 spanning January, March, May, September, and October 1972. The dataset contains the data resulting from these polls in ASCII. The ballots are as follows: 351 - January This Gallup poll seeks the opinions of Canadians, on predominantly political and social issues. The questions ask opinions about political leaders and political issues within the country and throughout the world. There are also questions regarding class favouring laws, the welfare system and guaranteed annual income. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographical variables. Topics of interest include: the amount of U.S. capital in Canada; the approval of guaranteed annual income; the best political party for the future; class favouring laws in Canada; conditions of today versus the past year; how respondents feel about the United States; opinion of NDP leader David Lewis; opinion of Stanfield; opinion of Trudeau; respect for the United Nations; the seriousness of governmental leaks to the press; the seriousness of Quebec separation; the strength of Quebec separation; welfare system ratings; and what influences voting choices. Basic demographic variables are also included. 352 - March This Gallup poll seeks the opinions of Canadians, on political and social issues. Topics of interest include: emigrating from Canada, political involvement, Trudeau vs Stanfield as potential prime minister, the right to strike, opinions on the Liberal term, government support for less populated provinces, how the U.S. conceives of its relationship with Canada, voting behavior, voting outcomes, whether political parties should be financially transparent, and pollution. Basic demographic variables are also included. 353 - May This Gallup poll seeks the opinions of Canadians, on predominantly political and social issues. The questions ask opinions about political issues, bilingualism and unemployment. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographical variables. Topics of interest include: the agreement to clear the pollution in the Great Lakes; bilingualism in Canada; the degree of interest in the next Federal election; expanding the NHL; the greatest threat to the future; the importance of basic human rights; the most important problem in Canada; political position (left wing-right wing); the productivity of Canadian workers; the option of remaining on unemployment insurance instead of working; the problem of inflation; the problem of unemployment; whether or not Trudeau conduct is appropriate in parliament; and if the United States sincerely respects the Canadian identity. Basic demographic variables are also included. 355 - September This Gallup poll seeks the opinions of Canadians, on political and social issues. The questions ask opinions about political leaders and the upcoming Federal election. There are also questions on other topics of interest and importance to the country and government, such as the problems facing Canada and the availability of birth control for teens. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographical variables. Topics of interest include: accepting Ugandan refugees; the availability of birth control to teens; the best political party to handle the problems facing Canada; confidence in United States' problem solving; being eligible to vote; giving provinces more power; what influences voting decisions; interest in the Federal election; the likelihood of voting in the Federal election; M.P.'s voting habits; the most important problem facing Canada; the political party with the best leader; the political party with the best policies; voluntary wage restraint; and women having the right to choose an abortion. Basic demographic variables are also included. 356 - October This Gallup poll seeks the opinions of Canadians, on predominantly political and social issues. The questions ask opinions on political issues within the country; such as voting habits and issues regarding the upcoming Federal election. There are also questions regarding tax relief, inflation and unemployment. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographical variables. Topics of interest include: the amount of taxes paid by corporations; the certainty of voting in the upcoming Federal election; corporate tax relief; the ease at which to get unemployment insurance; the improved Canadian economy; improvements in inflation; the increase of unemployment insurance; the interest in the upcoming Federal election; the leader with the best campaign; Lewis's criticism of corporate tax; the most sincere leader; and whether or not a respondents name is on the voters list. Basic demographic variables are also included.

The economy was seen by 49 percent of people in the UK as one of the top three issues facing the country in June 2025. The ongoing cost of living crisis afflicting the UK, driven by high inflation, is still one of the main concerns of Britons. Immigration has generally been the second most important issue since the middle of 2024, just ahead of health, which was seen as the third-biggest issue in the most recent month. Labour's popularity continues to sink in 2025 Despite winning the 2024 general election with a strong majority, the new Labour government has had its share of struggles since coming to power. Shortly after taking office, the approval rating for Labour stood at -2 percent, but this fell throughout the second half of 2024, and by January 2025 had sunk to a new low of -47 percent. Although this was still higher than the previous government's last approval rating of -56 percent, it is nevertheless a severe review from the electorate. Among several decisions from the government, arguably the least popular was the government withdrawing winter fuel payments. This state benefit, previously paid to all pensioners, is now only paid to those on low incomes, with millions of pensioners not receiving this payment in winter 2024. Sunak's pledges fail to prevent defeat in 2024 With an election on the horizon, and the Labour Party consistently ahead in the polls, addressing voter concerns directly was one of the best chances the Conservatives had of staying in power in 2023. At the start of that year, Rishi Sunak attempted to do this by setting out his five pledges for the next twelve months; halve inflation, grow the economy, reduce national debt, cut NHS waiting times, and stop small boats. A year later, Sunak had at best only partial success in these aims. Although the inflation rate fell, economic growth was weak and even declined in the last two quarters of 2023, although it did return to growth in early 2024. National debt was only expected to fall in the mid to late 2020s, while the trend of increasing NHS waiting times did not reverse. Small boat crossings were down from 2022, but still higher than in 2021 or 2020. .

This survey focused on the 2023 parliamentary elections in Finland. Main themes included political participation, political attitudes, party allegiance, candidate and party choice, and voting behaviour. Further topics included citizens' initiative, different ways of having a say in matters, and future prospects of Finland. Swedish-speaking population is over-represented in the data. The data were collected after the elections through three questionnaires, with each respondent answering only one of them. Although the questionnaires focus on different themes, there is also overlap between them. Certain issues - such as voting in the 2023 parliamentary elections, party choice and trust - were asked in each questionnaire. The first questionnaire (quF3875_1) contains Finland's contribution to the international CSES study (module 6). Data collection was funded by the Ministry of Justice. The first questionnaire covered the respondents' interest in politics, attention paid to media coverage of the elections (including social media), satisfaction with the political system, economic situation, party preferences, political value orientations, discussions about politics with others, party identification and whether the respondents felt close to any party. The respondents' opinions on voting, democracy, decision-making and parties were surveyed. Satisfaction with the political system was charted by asking how much the respondent trusts various institutions, such as the president, political parties, parliament, government, the judiciary and the media. They were also asked about the successes of the cabinet led by prime minister Sanna Marin. The respondents' perceptions of their own financial situation and the Finnish economy were also charted. Further questions were asked about voting in the parliamentary elections. The respondents were asked about their opinions on Finnish parties and their chairs. They were also asked to place the parties on the left-right axis. In addition, the respondents placed themselves on the left-right axis and on the liberal-conservative scale. The respondents were asked about the functioning of democracy in Finland and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on, for example, Finland's unity. The second questionnaire charted the respondents' interest in politics, attention paid to media coverage of the elections (including social media), social and political participation, trust, candidate and party choice, political knowledge, and political values and attitudes. The sources from which the respondents got relevant information for their voting choice were examined (e.g. family or friends, newspapers, TV, social media). The respondent's views on issues such as participation in politics and civic competence were surveyed. The respondents specified the forms of their social participation, such as whether they signed any citizens' initiatives or participated in political party or other civic organization activities. They were also asked whether people could be trusted. Non-voters were asked why they had not voted. Those who voted in the elections were asked in more detail which party and which candidate the respondent voted for. Finland's future direction was charted with attitudinal statements concerning, for example, multiculturalism, Christian values, climate change, state regulation and taxation. The third questionnaire covered the respondents' interest in politics, trust, political knowledge, value orientations, political values and attitudes and whether the respondents felt close to any party. The respondents listed the three most important social problems that politicians should address. The respondents' opinions on current political issues such as the security threat from Russia, local agreement on terms and conditions of employment, cuts in public services and forest fellings were surveyd. Background variables included, among others, the respondent's year of birth, gender, education, marital status, trade union membership, political party membership, economic activity and occupational status, employer type, religiosity and religious attendance, mother tongue, type of municipality of residence, gross annual household income, number of people in the household, number of children, country of birth, parents' country of birth (categorised), and electoral district.

The Politbarometer has been conducted since 1977 on an almost monthly basis by the Research Group for Elections (Forschungsgruppe Wahlen) for the Second German Television (ZDF). Since 1990, this database has also been available for the new German states. The survey focuses on the opinions and attitudes of the voting population in the Federal Republic on current political topics, parties, politicians, and voting behavior. From 1990 to 1995 and from 1999 onward, the Politbarometer surveys were conducted separately in the eastern and western federal states (Politbarometer East and Politbarometer West). The separate monthly surveys of a year are integrated into a cumulative data set that includes all surveys of a year and all variables of the respective year. The Politbarometer short surveys, collected with varying frequency throughout the year, are integrated into the annual cumulation starting from 2003.

This dataset covers ballots 300-305, spanning January, March, April, June, August, and November 1963. The dataset contains the data resulting from these polls in ASCII. The ballots are as follows: 300 - January This Canadian Gallup poll seeks the views of Canadians on a number of politically rooted issues, including opinions toward politicians and political parties, and political ideas, such as medicare. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographic, demographic and social variables. The topics of interest include: American prestige in Canada; who would make the best premier for Ontario; car ownership; which country is the biggest threat to peace; the Conservative party; the development of Canada as a nation; federal elections; John Diefenbaker's potential successor; Lester B. Pearson's potential successor; the Liberal party; Medicare; the New Democratic party; political party word association; the propaganda war between the United States and Russia; product-brand name association; Robert Thompson; the Social Credit party; Tommy Douglas; union membership; and voting behaviour. Basic demographics variables are also included. 301 - March This Gallup poll seeks the opinions of Canadians on predominantly political issues, prior to an election. The questions aim to gather views on political leaders and parties, and Canadians' feelings towards several issues that are of importance to the election. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographic, demographic, and social variables. The topics of interest include: Canadian forces having nuclear weapons; car ownership; defence policy; Diefenbaker's performance as Prime Minister; federal elections; frequency of being home during weekdays; major problems facing Canada; Pearson's performance as leader of the opposition; preferred political parties; preferred Prime Minister; union membership; and voting behaviour. Basic demographic variables are also included. 302 - April This Gallup poll aims to collect the opinions of Canadians on issues of a political nature. There are questions about voting patterns and interest, issues of national importance, including defence, the National Anthem and the Canadian Flag, and questions involving Canada and other nations. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographic, demographic, and social variables. The topics of interest include: alcohol prohibition; Britain's status as a world power; Canada's dependency on the United States; Canadian national anthem; car ownership; defence policy; preferred designs for the Canadian flag; employment; English-French relations; federal elections; leaving school at the age of 16; strikes; union membership; and voting behaviour. Basic demographics variables are also included. 303 - June This Gallup poll seeks the opinions and views of Canadians on several leading topics of the day. The major issues discussed are all significant from a political perspective, as the questions often involve problems facing politicians, or are about opinions towards the political leaders and parties directly. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographic, demographic, and social variables. The topics of interest include: whether Bingo games should be allowed to raise money in Canada; American investment in Canada; artists developing their talents in Canada; cigarette smoking; dating in highschool; Diefenbaker's performance as leader of the opposition; whether it is easy to get a divorce in Canada; federal elections; free trade with the United States; whether French Canadians are receiving full rights under Confederation; listening to shortwave radio; using government lotteries to help pay for social services; whether to legalize off-track betting; Pearson's performance as Prime Minister; unemployment predictions; union membership; and voting behaviour. Basic demographics variables are also included. 304 - August This Gallup poll aims to collect the opinions of Canadians on several leading topics of the day, including health related subjects, taxation, and other policies and government activities. Some questions have international significance, and deal with Britain, China, and the United Nations. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographic, demographic, and social variables. The topics of interest include: predictions for Britain's next Prime Minister; Communist China in the United Nations; federal elections; higher wages for labour; housing of respondents; John Diefenbaker's chances of returning to power; Lester B. Pearson's performance as Prime Minister; pay raises for Members of Parliament; pay raises for senators; peace with Russia; whether the population of Canada should be larger; preventing the break up of Confederation; racism; Real Caouette's performance; smoking habits; tax increases; union membership; voting behaviour; and Walter Gordon's performance as Minister of Finance. Basic demographic variables are also included. 305 - November This Gallup poll seeks the opinions of Canadians on leading political issues of the day. The tone of the questions is entirely political, with major subjects including serious crimes, juvenile delinquency, bilingualism, and government. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographic, demographic, and social variables. The topics of interest include: ambitions for the next year; Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism; federal elections; farmers getting a fair deal from the provinces; increase in juvenile delinquency; Lester B. Pearson's performance as Prime Minister; Liberal government's performance; whether the minority government should try to avoid an election; official recognition of bilingualism; people working multiple jobs; relations with the United States; seriousness of various crimes; two party political system in Canada; union membership; and voting membership. Basic demographics variables are also included.The codebook for this dataset is available through the UBC Library catalogue, with call number HN110.Z9 P84.

Immigration was seen as the most important issue facing Germany as of June 2025, selected by 31 percent of people as a problem that month. The economy was seen by 27 percent of people in Germany as a major issue, and was the second most-common response in the most recent survey. Germany's economic struggles Once the economic powerhouse of Europe, the Germany economy has been struggling for several years, and even shrank in 2023 and 2024. In part, this is due to external factors, such as the War in Ukraine putting an end to Germany's supply of cheap Russian gas, and a more protectionist global trade environment harming Germany's export-driven businesses. On the other hand, there has been a chronic lack of investment in the country, in part due to fiscal restraints built into the German constitution. Collapse of the traffic light coalition The issue of removing these fiscal restraints, in particular the "debt-brake", was the eventual reason that brought down the government of Olaf Scholz in late 2024. In power since the 2021 election, Scholz's government consisted of three political parties, Scholz's own SPD, the German Greens, and the pro-businesses FDP. The contradictions inherent in a three-party coalition eventually rose to the surface in late 2024, when the FDP leadership split with the government over economic policy, causing the collapse of the government. All three parties saw their vote share decline considerably, in the subsequent election in February 2025, with the FDP unable to clear the five percent threshold required to win seats in parliament.

The survey focused on the 2011 parliamentary elections in Finland. Main themes included political participation, political attitudes, party support, candidate and party choice and voting behaviour. Data were collected after the elections through face-to-face interviews and a self-administered drop-off questionnaire. The interview data contain Finland's contribution to the international CSES study. The same CSES module was fielded in Finland in 2007 (see FSD2269). First questions covered interest in politics, attention to media coverage of the elections (including social media), Internet use frequency, willingness to discuss politics with others, party identification and self-perceived social class. The respondents were asked to what extent they agreed with some statements relating to voting, democracy, holding referendums and tolerance of people with different values or views. Willingness to influence things by own activity (for instance, by participating in a demonstration or joining a consumer boycott) was charted. Further questions covered membership in a political party, participation in election campaign work and opinions on whom a MP should represent. The survey also carried a set of attitudinal statements on voting, politics, political parties, politicians and public political influence. For instance 'I have no say in what the government and parliament decide' or 'By voting people can have a say how things are run'. The CSES module explored what issues had been important to the respondents in these elections, what they thought were the most important political problems facing Finland and whether it made a difference who was in power or who people voted for. Views were probed on government performance, political parties, political leaders and whether any party or political leader represented R's views well. The respondents were asked to place themselves, the parties and party leaders on a left-right axis. Questions also covered differences between parties, the extent to which the respondents had followed election campaigning, satisfaction with democracy in Finland and whether they felt close to any party. Voting behaviour was studied with questions on whether the respondents had voted, the candidate of which party they had voted for, whether they had considered voting for a candidate of any other party and if yes, which party, whether they had voted in the previous parliamentary elections and which party they voted for. Finally, the respondents' factual knowledge was tested with a few questions. Non-voters were asked why they had not voted and how self-evident not voting had been to them. Those who had voted for the True Finns were asked to what extent a number of issues had influenced their decision to vote for a candidate of that party and what had been the main reason. All those who had voted were asked what had influenced their choice of party, to what extent various issues had influenced their candidate choice, whether they had voted for the same candidate before and when had they decided whom and which party to vote for. One question explored how the respondents wanted MPs to vote in Parliament in cases where there was a conflict of opinion between them, their party or their voters. One theme pertained to trust in government and other institutions, groups and people. The self-administered questionnaire surveyed what issues had been decisive for the respondents' party choice in the elections, opinions on what kind of policies Finland should focus on and what kind of political decision-making the respondents would prefer. Views were probed on work-related immigration to Finland and the policies of different parties on the issue. One question focused on information sources used for making voting choice. Political activities carried out on the Internet and type of activities generally engaged in when using social media and the Internet were charted. Other topics covered online voting, views on the importance of the candidate's gender and how easy it had been for the respondents to find a suitable party and candidate. The respondents were also asked to what extent they agreed with a number of statements relating to Members of Parliament, the government and political decision-making. Opinions on Finland's membership in the EU and NATO were surveyed as well as whether it was more important to let the majority decide or protect the needs and rights of minorities. Other topics included views on own financial situation and the Finnish economy and employment situation, left-right scale of certain concepts (e.g. being pro-immigration) and influence of a number of actors on the Finnish society. The effects of the debate on election campaign funding were charted as well as how the debate had influence the respondents' views of each political party. Finally, personality traits of the respondents were surveyed using the Ten-item personality inventory (TIPI). Variables beginning with 'k' are national election study variables, 'q' denotes CSES variables, 'p' denotes variables from the self-administered questionnaire, 'a' denotes CSES administrative variables and 'd' denotes background variables. Background variables included the respondent's year of birth, gender, basic and vocational education, marital status, trade union membership, daily television viewing, economic activity, occupational status, employer type, annual household income, number and ages of persons in the household, R's religiosity, religious affiliation, mother tongue, type of neighbourhood, housing tenure and constituency.

This data collection provides directly accessible information on change and stability of electoral behavior and political orientation in the Netherlands. It is a compilation of common core variables included in the Dutch Parliamentary Election Studies of 1971, 1972, 1977, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1989, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2003, and 2006. As several of the Dutch Parliamentary Election Studies consist of pre-election interviews as well as post-election interviews, the Primary Investigator used the following the criteria for selecting the waves and variables for this collection: (1) The waves and variables included in the integrated dataset should be as representative as possible of the Dutch electorate, (2) If a variable was not available in the first wave of a study, it was taken from the second wave or the third wave, (3) All variables included at least four times in the 1971-2006 studies were included in the integrated dataset (albeit with some exceptions, documented in the "Documentation of Variables" section of the ICPSR codebook), and (4) If necessary, selected variables were recoded and converted to facilitate longitudinal analyses. The major areas of study focus on national problems, political efficacy, perceived stand of the main political parties on important political issues, view of religion in society, satisfaction with government, social participation, voting behavior in recent elections, left-right self-rating, left-right rating of political parties, sense of civic competence, civic political participation, legitimacy of social protest and government reaction, political distrust, and political cynicism. Respondents' views on other salient political and social issues, such as abortion, nuclear energy, differences in income, and nuclear armaments, were also elicited.

Social media has changed the link between politicians and voters. An unsettled question is how politicians use social media in the political agenda-setting competition. Do they respond to issue priorities of the public, or do they try to lead voter priorities as covered in the mass media? We argue that politicians’ behavior depends on their re-election prospects. If politicians receive information that their electoral prospects have worsened, they act as agenda takers, paying more attention to the issues that voters are perceived to care about. We test our argument based on 27,421 Facebook posts by 146 Danish national MPs, monthly public polls of citizens’ voting intentions, and mass media issue agendas in one non-election year. We find that bad polls substantially increase politicians’ focus on top media issues, indicating that social media provides losing politicians with a flexible and low-cost platform for on-going short-term political responsiveness.

Population eligible to vote, aged 18 years and older