Table 3.2
Average Feeling Thermometer Toward Liberals and Conservatives  1964-2004


                           '64  '66  '68  '70  '72  '74  '76  '78  '80  '82  '84  '86  '88  '90  '92  '94  '96  '98  '00  '02  '04 
 
                 Liberals   53   50   51   43   54   54   52   **   52   46   56   53   52   55   51   50   52   52   54   51   55
            Conservatives   57   56   57   53   61   61   59   **   62   53   60   58   61   60   56   61   60   56   59   58   61


     Source:  The National Election Studies

     

     This index is constructed from the 0-100 thermometer scores for
     liberals and conservatives. In the final thermometer data, scores
     of 97 to 100 are collapsed to 97.
     The calculation for this index is the following: first, the
     rating for liberals is subtracted from 97, and that difference is
     added to the value of the rating for conservatives.  This sum is then
     divided by 2, and the result is rounded to the nearest integer.
      
     In 1964, 1966 and 1968, DK was scored as 50.
       
     This represents variables VCF0211,VCF0212 in the NES Cumulative Data File dataset.
     Consult the Cumulative Data File codebook for complete question text and annotation.
     Weight variable VCF0009a was used to produce this table.

Table generated:  27NOV05