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Multi-Item Scale:

Now various statements follow that some people agree with, but others disagree with. What about you? For each statement, please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with it.<br> <i>[Nun folgen verschiedene Aussagen, denen manche Leute zustimmen, die andere aber auch ablehnen. Wie ist das bei Ihnen? Geben Sie bitte zu jeder Aussage an, inwieweit Sie ihr zustimmen oder nicht.]</i>

Item Text:

c. The values of people like me are becoming less and less important in society. [Die Wertvorstellungen von Leuten wie mir werden in der Gesellschaft immer unwichtiger.]

Different Answer Format Tested:

Nein

Findings:

What do respondents mean by "people like me"?
All respondents selected, relatively evenly, one of the three middle response categories. One third “rather agreed” with the statement (n = 3), the second third chose the answer category "neither agree nor disagree " (n= 3) and the last third “rather disagreed” with the statement (n= 4). Under "people like me" the majority of the test persons understood the average Joe, who comes from the middle class, with average income:
  • "Someone who comes from the social middle [...]. Funnily enough, you relatively quickly relate that to the salary range you're in, I think. Whereby, depending on the life situation, I would perhaps also refer to other things. [...] Now currently, I would have put that, the group I come from, under that." (TP 03)
  • "Normal citizens, quite simply average citizens, normal earners." (TP 07)
  • "People like me. I'm going to assume that I'm middle class, a normal citizen, a blameless citi-zen. People who are as blameless as I am. Going about their business, earning their wages and making the best of it." (TP 08)
In addition, some of the persons summarized the same world political attitudes as well as their age group among them:
  • "[People] who have roughly my values. Also in a broader sense. People, from 20 to 40, who are politically left-wing and concerned about the climate." (TP 04)
  • "'People like me' then tend to be people like me who are more liberal-minded and care about solidarity." (TP 05)
Two persons expressed their ambiguity about what was meant by values and the statement itself:
  • "I'm not sure if everyone can relate to the term value concepts that much if that's not listed. I could imagine that there are many different ideas about what values mean in today's society. And that also concerns the term 'equal values', even if it is difficult to put it under a different term."(TP 03)
  • "I find it a funny question. Because I have the feeling that value concepts are becoming more and more important in the individual-political society and opinions are, after all, more and more polarized. I would ask myself, for what. I can't really answer the question. I don't know what is meant by unimportant. Because I would already say that the values I have are more and more important for society and other opinions are also important, but whether they then make a difference in society or how the other people in society see it, I don't know." (TP 04)

Recommendations:

No changes recommended.

Question tested:

false