Summary
This data collection focuses on the 1988 Republican National Convention. Questions put to respondents in Part 1 include which party the respondent trusted to do a better job over the next few years, if after eight years of Reagan the nation needed to go in a new direction or continue as it was, if the respondent had a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Michael Dukakis, George Bush, and Ronald Reagan, whether the respondent would vote for Bush or Dukakis if the election were held that day, who the respondent would like to see as Bush's running mate, whether the respondent would be more or less likely to vote for Bush if his running mate were female or very conservative or one of various named Republican figures. In addition, respondents were asked if they planned to watch any of the live television coverage of the convention, and if so, on which television network. Part 2 replicated many of the questions in Part 1, with respondents also being asked if they had a favorable or unfavorable impression of Dan Quayle, which party had the best chance of winning in November, if they had been following the convention very closely, if they approved or disapproved of what had been said and done at the convention, if they now were more or less likely to vote for Bush, and if Bush's choice of Dan Quayle as his running mate affected their likely vote in November. Part 3 duplicated several questions from the prior two surveys, additionally soliciting respondents' opinions on the qualifications of Quayle and Bentsen to be president, Quayle's service in the National Guard during the Vietnam War that prevented his being drafted into the Army, and charges that political influence was used to get Quayle into the Guard ahead of others on the waiting list. Background information on respondents includes political alignment, age, race, sex, and state/region of residence.Cf: http://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR09071.v2