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THE
FIELD
POLL
THE INDEPENDENT AND NON-PARTISAN SURVEY
OF PUBLIC OPINION ESTABLISHED IN 1947 AS
THE CALIFORNIA POLL BY MERVIN FIELD
222 Sutter Street, Suite 700
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 392-5763 FAX: (415) 434-2541 EMAIL: [email protected]
www.Field.com/fieldpollonline
THE FIELD (CALIFORNIA) POLL
Late January 2008
Codebook 08-01b
Data file citation:
Field (California) Poll Late January 2008 [machine-readable data file] San Francisco, CA: Field Research Corporation, 2008,
Field (California) Poll 08-01b.
THE FIELD (CALIFORNIA) POLL CODEBOOK – LATE JANUARY 2008 SURVEY
UNIVERSE:
CALIFORNIA REGISTERED VOTERS
INTERVIEWING PERIOD:
JANUARY 25 - FEBRUARY 1, 2008
METHOD OF INTERVIEW:
TELEPHONE
SAMPLING METHOD:
REGISTRATION-BASED LISTS
NUMBER OF CASES:
1307
ASCII TEXT FILE:
COL = THE COLUMN POSITION OF THE DATA
[COL 101 = CARD 1, COLUMN 1]
CODING OF NOT APPLICABLE:
AS INDICATED
RESPONDENT ID
CARD NUMBER
COLUMNS 1-5 OF EACH CARD
COLUMNS 6-7 OF EACH CARD
THE FIELD (CALIFORNIA) POLL CODEBOOK – LATE JANUARY 2008 SURVEY
About the Field Poll
The Field Poll is an independent, media-sponsored and non-partisan survey of California public opinion founded in
1947 by Mervin Field. Through its long history, it has conducted regularly scheduled surveys tracking voter
preferences in all major statewide candidate and proposition election contests, assessing public opinion of elected
officials and major issues facing the state, obtaining reactions to political and social developments, and covers topical
news stories of general public interest.
The Field Poll is owned and operated by Field Research Corporation, with headquarters in San Francisco, California.
The Field Poll receives continuing financial support from the state’s leading newspapers and TV stations, who purchase
the rights of first release to all Field Poll reports in their primary viewer or readership markets. The Poll also obtains
funds from California’s public colleges and universities as part of its academic consortium, as well as from
foundations, non-profit organizations, and others as part of its policy research sponsor program. Since 1958 its
research data have been available to the public through publicly accessible archives through the University of
California’s UC Data Program.
Description of Telephone Sampling Procedures
Field Poll surveys conducted prior to 1979 were administered through in-person interviews conducted door-to-door
across the state. Since 1979 The Field Poll has administered its surveys by telephone. These surveys have typically
employed a random digit dial sampling methodology. This sampling method has been, and continues to be, the
industry standard when conducting surveys of adult populations. Beginning in 2006, when conducting surveys of the
state’s registered voter population, The Field Poll has used either the traditional random digit dial sampling approach or
drawn samples of voters from registration-based lists. When conducting surveys of registered voters from either
source, the goal is the same; namely, to develop a representative sample of the overall registered voter population in
California.
The following is a summary of the procedures used by The Field Poll when using a random digit-dial (RDD) sampling
approach and those employed using a registration-based sampling (RBS) methodology.
A. Sampling Using a Random Digit Dialing Methodology
When Field Poll samples of the California telephone household population are developed using a random digit dialing
(RDD) technique, the sample lists are typically generated by Survey Sampling, Inc., a leading supplier of RDD samples
to the public opinion research industry.
The RDD selection procedure starts with the identification of all telephone exchanges that serve that jurisdiction. Nonworking and business blocks are identified in each exchange and eliminated. After working exchanges and blocks of
numbers have been weighted proportionally by the number of listed phone lines, numbers are systematically selected to
yield a probability sample of base numbers. Finally, random digits are added to the base number to create a random tendigit telephone number. This is done in the following manner:
To equalize the probability of telephone household selection from anywhere in the area sampled, samples are first
systematically stratified to all counties in proportion to each county's share of telephone households statewide. To
obtain reasonable estimates of telephones by county, a special data base was developed, beginning with Census data for
residential telephone incidence. These counts, updated yearly with data on new telephone installations provided at the
state level, are then applied to current projections of households by county.
After a geographic area has been defined as a combination of counties, the sum of the estimated telephone households
is calculated and divided by the desired sample size to produce a sampling interval.
THE FIELD (CALIFORNIA) POLL CODEBOOK – LATE JANUARY 2008 SURVEY
A random number is drawn between 0 and the interval (125) to establish a starting point. Assuming the starting point is
86, then the 86th, 211th, 336th, 461st, etc., records would be selected for the sample, each time stepping through the
data base by a factor of 125. This is a systematic random sample – as the sample is selected in a systematic "nth"
fashion from a random starting point. Any county whose population of estimated telephone households equals or
exceeds the sampling interval is automatically included in the sample, while smaller counties are included with a
probability proportionate to their size.
For each county included in the sample, one or more unique telephone numbers are selected by systematic sampling
from among all working blocks of numbers in all telephone exchanges assigned to the county. A working block is
defined as 100 contiguous numbers containing three or more residential telephone listings.
In this example, for the exchange 226, the entire block comprises the numbers 7500-7599. Exchanges are assigned to a
single county on the basis of where listed residents live. Nationally, about 80 percent of all exchanges appear to fall
totally within county boundaries. For those overlapping county lines, the exchanges are assigned to the county with the
highest number of listed residents.
Once the sample has been allocated, a second sampling interval is calculated for each county by dividing the number of
listed telephone households for the county by the portion of the sample allocated to that county. Each exchange and
working block within an exchange is weighted by its share of listed telephone households. If the total number of listed
telephone households in the data base for this county is 45,000 and that county is allocated 500 numbers, the resulting
interval produced would be 90.
Next, from a random start between 1 and 90, those exchanges and working blocks falling within the interval are
sampled on a systematic basis. Two or more digits randomly chosen from the range 00-99 are then added to each of the
blocks selected. The result is a complete number made up of the exchange, the block, and the two random digits.
B. Sampling from Registration-based Lists
When Field Poll samples of registered voters are implemented using a registration-based sampling (RBS) methodology,
lists of registered voters statewide are purchased from Voter Contact Services, a leading supplier of voter lists to the
survey research industry. The list is updated regularly and includes the names of virtually 100% of registered voters
statewide, along with a wealth of other information about the voter, including a voter’s address, city and county of
residence, gender, date of birth (age), party registration, whether or not the voter is a permanent absentee voter, and
extent to which the voter participated in past elections.
The list currently provides a telephone number for approximately 90% of the voters listed. These telephone numbers
come from a variety of sources, including telephone numbers included on the voter’s registration form, as well as by
cross referencing voter names and addresses against recent telephone directories and other telephone matching services.
While the telephone numbers included are primarily landline telephone numbers, these phone listings include cell
phones, whenever a cell phone number is provided by the voter when registering to vote or in other settings accessible
to telephone matching services. Thus, cell phones are not systematically excluded from the sample frame as is the case
with samples derived from a random digit dial (RDD) sampling methodology.
THE FIELD (CALIFORNIA) POLL CODEBOOK – LATE JANUARY 2008 SURVEY
Another difference when sampling from an RBS list is that the RBS sample frame is drawn from a list of individuals
(i.e., voters), whereas the sampling frame for RDD surveys is a household (through the identification of household
landline phones identified when implementing the RDD sample). Because of this, the RBS sampling approach
eliminates the need to implement any respondent selection procedures once a contact is made, because the full name of
the voter to be sampled is known in advance. This compares to RDD surveys which typically employ a respondent
selection procedure to randomly select one adult to be surveyed in each household. In addition, RBS sampling does not
rely on respondent testimony as to whether the adult being sampled is a registered voter, and if so, what party the voter
is affiliated with, since all persons contacted are known to be registered and their actual party registration is identified.
When drawing samples from the RBS database, The Field Poll employs a random selection procedure giving all voters
with telephone numbers an equal chance of being selected. All interview attempts are made only with the specific
voter selected. Since the voter’s gender, county of residence, age and party registration are known in advance
additional samples of voters meeting specified sampling requirements can easily be augmented or the statewide sample
stratified along any of these dimensions.
Because the name and address of the voter is known, RBS samples can also be coupled with either an advance letter or
a follow-up letter mailed directly to the targeted voter, informing him or her that a telephone interviewer will be or has
tried to include them in a statewide Field Poll survey. Letters can be sent to all or parts of the voter sample (e.g.,
follow-up letters can be sent to voters who initially refused to participate in the survey, or to those in which the initial
attempt yielded a cell phone message.) These letters, printed and mailed on Field Poll letterhead, serve to provide
voters with information about the survey’s auspices, help in distinguishing the survey from unsolicited telemarketing or
political calls, and provide a toll-free telephone number to allow voters to participate in the survey on a day and time of
their own choosing.
Conversion of the Survey Questionnaire Onto CATI
After a penultimate version of the questionnaire has been developed for each survey, it is translated into Spanish and
both the English and Spanish language questionnaires are programmed onto the computer-assisted telephone
interviewing (CATI) system in preparation for testing. CATI controls the telephone scripts read to individual
respondents by displaying the appropriate questionnaire items and their valid response code alternatives in their proper
sequence on computer screens at each interviewer's booth. The interviewer then reads each question aloud to the
respondent from the screen and enters the pre-coded answer category through the keyboard directly to a computer disk.
All answers are automatically stored in computer memory.
Online interviewing using CATI allows for greater consistency in interviewing by controlling skip patterns, branches,
randomization of items in a battery, "refer backs," and other control features during the call. CATI also affords greater
opportunities for internal control, since the development and programming of the questionnaires remain under the
direct control and supervision of the project director. This ultimately helps to insure that all interviewing procedures
and scripts are set-up and implemented in an identical fashion for each respondent.
In addition to sequencing and personalizing questions, the CATI program performs various quality control functions,
including on-line editing. The program will reject ineligible codes entered by an interviewer to all pre-coded questions.
The CATI script is prepared for a telephone pre-test among a small sample of adults to assess general ease of
administration, refine item wording and provide an initial assessment of average length of administration. Following
this, changes are made to the questionnaire, as appropriate, and these are incorporated into the CATI script in
preparation for a more formal pilot test.
Data Collection Procedures
Telephone interviewing for each Field Poll survey is typically conducted internally drawing from Field Research
Corporation's large corps of trained interviewers, with full-time staff professionals on hand to supervise, monitor and
evaluate the performance of each interviewer. Field Research Corporation's interviewing facilities consist of sound-
THE FIELD (CALIFORNIA) POLL CODEBOOK – LATE JANUARY 2008 SURVEY
protected booths where interviewers are stationed to do the calling using state-of-the-art computer-assisted telephone
interviewing.
In order to bring hard-to-reach respondents into its surveys, up to eight attempts (an initial call plus seven callbacks) are
made to each telephone number selected for inclusion into the sample. Callbacks are made at different times and on
different days to increase the probability of finding adults available for the interview. Where possible, appointments are
made at specified dates and times to maximize convenience and cooperation rates.
Interviewer Training Procedures
The role of the interviewer is critical in obtaining accurate and reliable survey data. Consequently, interviewers
working on each Field Poll study are carefully trained in all the nuances of questionnaire administration and monitored
throughout the interviewing period to assure uniform practices. The following measures are employed to assure high
quality and uniform telephone interviewing practices:
1.
All interviewers working are required to complete an interviewer training course, which will provide both
general and specific interviewing instructions, refresher reviews and on-line monitoring of telephone
interviewing. During the training course, interviewers are provided with an interviewer training manual. The
training course and manual includes an introduction to survey research, a description of interviewer roles and
responsibilities, general interviewing techniques and record keeping, refusal conversion techniques, and
confidentiality procedures. In addition, procedures are reviewed for the proper management of non-English
speaking households.
2.
At the conclusion of their training, interviewers conduct mock interviews, and their performance is evaluated
by professional interviewing supervisors.
3.
Before the start of data collection, all interviewers working on the study are required to attend a briefing
session where the calling and interviewing procedures are described in detail by the Study Director. This
session provides both interviewers and supervisors with an overview of the study and includes a question-byquestion review of all items in the survey. The session also discusses recommended best-practice approaches
for dealing with different interviewing situations, documenting the results of contact attempts, scheduling of
callbacks and confidentiality requirements.
4.
Debriefings and retraining sessions are held as necessary to be sure that all interviewers are following
consistent procedures. The performance of each member of the interviewing team is closely monitored and
evaluated throughout data collection. In addition, from time to time interviewers are asked to meet together as
a group to discuss their interviewing experiences on the project.
5.
If questions arise and clarifications need to be made about specific survey questions, written responses are
prepared and distributed to the interviewing staff to ensure uniform, standardized interviewing practices.
6.
Throughout the interviewing period "data correction sheets" are available to all interviewers to note
respondent changes to answers after the initial recording of their responses during the interview.
Data Processing Procedures
Orocessing and survey tabulations are typically generated from Field Research Corporation at the in-house data
processing facility. This allows for close supervision and control of all processing functions by the Study Director and
other project team members. Basic tabulations are handled with SPSS MR's Quantum software package, a highly
efficient and sophisticated cross-tabulation package for survey research data.
The following is a description of the procedures employed to complete the data processing tasks for each Field Poll
study.
THE FIELD (CALIFORNIA) POLL CODEBOOK – LATE JANUARY 2008 SURVEY
1. Data File Preparation
All information derived from the survey is systematically formatted in preparation for data cleaning and
processing.
2. Post-Interview Coding Tasks
Survey questions which permit verbatim replies to open-ended questions are coded and key-entered into each
respondent's data file by professional coders after the completion of data collection. Approximately twenty
percent of the replies to each open-ended question are sampled by full-time coding staff. Using the sampled
responses, the Study Director and the Coding Supervisor establish tentative code categories to permit detailed
coding and quantification of all qualitative responses. Each coder's work is checked to maintain accuracy and
consistency in the coding effort. Edited and coded questionnaires are then keyed into each respondent's survey
record.
3. Data "Cleaning" and File Checking
Because CATI itself provides for the direct data entry of responses by the interviewer and does not permit
ineligible or invalid data entries, the data file resulting from all CATI interviewing is itself virtually error-free.
However, because interviewers manually fill out data correction sheets when a respondent changes his or her
response after it has been entered, the survey data require additional data "cleaning." All data correction sheets
are reviewed and interview information corrected, as necessary. Following this, an additional series of checks
are performed by means of a specially designed cleaning program that will scrutinize each questionnaire for
internally inconsistent information.
4. Weighting
To generalize survey data to the overall population of California adults or voters, statistical weights are
developed to adjust for possible deviations in the probability of selection of households and individuals, and to
account for minor variations in the representation of individual demographic subgroups of the population that
result from the sampling process.
The weighting software used for each Field Poll is quite sophisticated and internally calculates individual
weights from specified "target values" established by the Study Director. For example, in developing weights
for the adult sample by age and gender, the researcher simply specifies the proportion of the total target
population who men age 18-24, the proportion who women age 18-24, and so on as the target weight values
desired in the final weighted sample. This greatly simplifies both the construction and proofing of the weights,
since the correct target values can be displayed and checked in each weighted table at the end of the weighting
process.
5. Processing and Tabulation
At the conclusion of this process, a clean data file is prepared and from it detailed statistical tabulations are
produced. These tabulations display the results of each survey question overall statewide and across a set of
regional and demographic subgroups of the state's population, and form the basis from which Field data
analysts prepare and present survey results in its reports and press releases.
Reporting
Reports of The Field Poll, typically published 30-50 times per year, cover a wide range of political, social and
economic topics. Continuing measures are made of voter support for leading political figures vying for major state and
federal elected offices, job ratings of important political figures, and reactions to significant political events. Voter
awareness, understanding and predispositions for major campaign issues and controversial ballot propositions are also
tracked over time. Each Field Poll release consists of two to twelve pages of text and statistical data presented in press
release format, plus a background fact sheet reporting the details of the survey, its sample size, exact question wording
and other technical details from that particular poll. All new and previous reports since 1995 are available to the public
through our online archives at www.field.com/fieldpollonline.
THE FIELD (CALIFORNIA) POLL CODEBOOK – LATE JANUARY 2008 SURVEY
TABLE OF CONTENTS
V3
V4
V5
V6
V7
V8
V9
Q14
Q16
Q17
Q18A
Q18B
Q19
Q21X
Q21
Q21SUM
Q23X
Q23A
Q23B
Q23C
Q23D
Q23E
Q24A
Q24B
Q24SUM
Q24ZA
Q24ZB
Q24ZC
Q24ZD
Q24ZE
Q24ZF
Q24ZG
Q24ZH
Q24XXX
Q24YYY
Q24ZZZ
Q25
Q26A
Q26B
Q26C
Q26D
Q26E
Q26F
Language/Form/Weights/Sample Type
LANG
FORM
WEIGHTS
SAMPLE TYPE
Political Party/Absentee Voter/Cell Phone
VARIABLE 07
POLITICAL PARTY
VARIABLE 08
PERMANENT ABSENTEE VOTER
VARIABLE 09
ORIGINAL PHONE LISTING
VARIABLE 10
REGISTERED TO VOTE
California Primary Election
VARIABLE 11
PLANNING TO VOTE IN CALIFORNIA PRIMARY ELECTION
VARIABLE 12
CERTAINTY OF VOTING IN CALIFORNIA PRIMARY ELECTION
VARIABLE 13
PLANNED METHOD OF VOTING IN CALIFORNIA PRIMARY ELECTION
VARIABLE 14
REQUESTED OR RECEIVED ABSENTEE BALLOT FOR PRIMARY ELECTION
VARIABLE 15
CALIFORNIA PRIMARY PARTICIPATION AMONG NON-PARTISANS
California Democratic Primary
VARIABLE 16
CHOICE IN DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY ELECTION - ALREADY VOTED
VARIABLE 17
CHOICE IN DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY ELECTION - HAVE YET TO VOTE
VARIABLE 18
FIRST CHOICE IN DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY ELECTION: SUMMARY
California Republican Primary
VARIABLE 19
CHOICE IN CALIFORNIA REPUBLICAN PRIMARY ELECTION - ALREADY
VOTED
VARIABLE 20
CALIFORNIA REPUBLICAN PRIMARY: WOULD VOTE FOR RUDY GIULIANI
VARIABLE 21
CALIFORNIA REPUBLICAN PRIMARY: WOULD VOTE FOR MIKE HUCKABEE
VARIABLE 22
CALIFORNIA REPUBLICAN PRIMARY: WOULD VOTE FOR JOHN MCCAIN
VARIABLE 23
CALIFORNIA REPUBLICAN PRIMARY: WOULD VOTE FOR RON PAUL
VARIABLE 24
CALIFORNIA REPUBLICAN PRIMARY: WOULD VOTE FOR MITT ROMNEY
VARIABLE 25
CHOICE IN CALIFORNIA REPUBLICAN PRIMARY - HAVE YET TO VOTE
VARIABLE 26
SECOND CHOICE IN CALIFORNIA REPUBLICAN PRIMARY
VARIABLE 27
FIRST CHOICE IN CALIFORNIA REPUBLICAN PRIMARY: SUMMARY
Issues and Views of Presidential Primary Candidates
VARIABLE 28
IMPORTANCE OF CANDIDATES' POSITION: JOBS AND THE ECONOMY
VARIABLE 29
IMPORTANCE OF CANDIDATES' POSITION: FOREIGN POLICY
VARIABLE 30
IMPORTANCE OF CANDIDATES' POSITION: THE TERRORIST THREAT
VARIABLE 31
IMPORTANCE OF CANDIDATES' POSITION: THE WAR IN IRAQ
VARIABLE 32
IMPORTANCE OF CANDIDATES' POSITION: ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
VARIABLE 33
IMPORTANCE OF CANDIDATES' POSITION: TAXES
VARIABLE 34
IMPORTANCE OF CANDIDATES' POSITION: HEALTH CARE
VARIABLE 35
IMPORTANCE OF CANDIDATES' POSITION: ABORTION
VARIABLE 36
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES' POSITIONS ON IMPORTANT ISSUES
VARIABLE 37
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES' POSITIONS ON IMPORTANT ISSUES
VARIABLE 38
LEVEL OF DISAPPOINTMENT IF PREFERRED CANDIDATE DOES NOT GET
THE NOMINATION
U.S. General Election
VARIABLE 39
LIKELIHOOD OF VOTING IN GENERAL ELECTION
VARIABLE 40
CHOICE FOR PRESIDENT IN GENERAL ELECTION: CLINTON OR
GIULIANI
VARIABLE 41
FOR PRESIDENT IN GENERAL ELECTION: OBAMA OR GIULIANI
VARIABLE 42
FOR PRESIDENT IN GENERAL ELECTION: CLINTON OR ROMNEY
VARIABLE 43
FOR PRESIDENT IN GENERAL ELECTION: OBAMA OR ROMNEY
VARIABLE 44
FOR PRESIDENT IN GENERAL ELECTION: CLINTON OR MCCAIN
VARIABLE 45
FOR PRESIDENT IN GENERAL ELECTION: OBAMA OR MCCAIN
Propositions 93 to 97
VARIABLE
VARIABLE
VARIABLE
VARIABLE
03
04
05
06
THE FIELD (CALIFORNIA) POLL CODEBOOK – LATE JANUARY 2008 SURVEY
Q28
Q29
Q30
VARIABLE 46
VARIABLE 47
VARIABLE 48
Q31
Q32
VARIABLE 49
VARIABLE 50
Q33
Q34
Q35
VARIABLE 51
VARIABLE 52
VARIABLE 53
Q101A
Q101B
Q102
Q103
Q104
VARIABLE
VARIABLE
VARIABLE
VARIABLE
VARIABLE
54
55
56
57
58
Q105
Q106
Q107_1
Q107_2
Q107_3
Q107_4
Q107_5
Q107_6
Q107_8
Q108
Q109
Q110
Q114
Q115
Q118
Q119
COUNTY
VARIABLE
VARIABLE
VARIABLE
VARIABLE
VARIABLE
VARIABLE
VARIABLE
VARIABLE
VARIABLE
VARIABLE
VARIABLE
VARIABLE
VARIABLE
VARIABLE
VARIABLE
VARIABLE
VARIABLE
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
AWARE OF PROPOSITION 93
VOTE TO SUPPORT PROPOSITION 93
OPINION RE: EXPANDING NUMBER OF GAMBLING ESTABLISHMENTS ON
TRIBAL LANDS
AWARE OF PROPOSITIONS 94 TO 97
VOTE TO SUPPORT PROPOSITIONS 94 TO 97
Jerry Brown
OPINION OF JERRY BROWN
APPROVAL OF JERRY BROWN: JOB AS CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR
WOULD VOTE FOR JERRY BROWN AS GOVERNOR IN 2010
Demographics
RESPONDENT AGE
RESPONDENT AGE - CATEGORY
EDUCATION
CONSIDER SELF CONSERVATIVE/LIBERAL/M-O-R
CONSIDER SELF A STRONG OR NOT VERY STRONG CONSERVATIVE
LIBERAL
CONSERVATIVE/LIBERAL/M-O-R - FORCED CHOICE
LATINO OR HISPANIC ORIGIN
ETHNICITY - WHITE
ETHNICITY - BLACK
ETHNICITY - ASIAN/PACIFIC ISLANDER
ETHNICITY - AMERICAN INDIAN
ETHNICITY - ALASKAN NATIVE
ETHNICITY - HISPANIC/LATINO (VOLUNTEERED)
ETHNICITY - DON'T KNOW/REFUSED
MARITAL STATUS
RENT OR OWN HOME
UNION MEMBERSHIP
RELIGIOUS PREFERENCE
BORN AGAIN
HOUSEHOLD INCOME
GENDER OF RESPONDENT
COUNTY OF RESIDENCE - FROM VOTER LIST