

Asia Europe Survey (ASES): A Multinational Comparative Study in 18 Countries, 2001 (ICPSR 22324)

Principal Investigator(s):


The purpose of the survey was to study, in 18 countries of Asia and Europe, how democracy (or quasi-democracy) functions in response to various domestic and international stimuli, with a focus on the rise of civil society and the deepening of globalization. The 18 countries surveyed include from East and Southeast Asia: Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines, and from Western Europe: the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Greece. The questionnaire covers generally five topics: (1) identity, (2) trust, (3) satisfaction, (4) beliefs and actions, and (5) socio-economic attributes. For the first topic, the survey asked respondents for their nationality and its importance to them, whether it was respected by others and given fair treatment in international economic and political affairs, and how proud of it they were. Respondents were also asked how important it was for them to have citizenship, fluency in their country's dominant language, and to practice their nationality's dominant religion. Respondents were asked if they identified with a community or a group rather than a nationality (i.e. neighborhoods, ethnic group, and religion), if they belonged to larger groups in which people from other countries were included (i.e. European, Asian, and Islamic), and how proud they were of their country's achievements or politics. The next topic asked respondents to assess their level of confidence in their country's government and endeavors (i.e. political parties, law and courts, and mass media) and in international organizations (i.e. World Bank and NATO), to name their country's foreign ministers, and if they could name the five countries with permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council. For the third topic, respondents were asked how well their countries handled issues of politics and citizens, about their personal life situation, their country's development, and the international situation. Regarding beliefs and actions, respondents were asked to comment on the effects of development around the world (i.e., products, money, people, and information being able to move globally), the importance of social issues (i.e., human rights and unemployment), and whether such issues should be dealt with by the country alone or by all countries working together, and if they agreed with specific statements others have made about the government, economy, and politics. They were questioned about their interest in politics, their left-to-right stance in politics, what political activities they had participated in, whether they had voted in the presidential and/or local elections, which political party they felt closest to, and their level of satisfaction with politics in their society. The final topic included questions on the respondent's awareness of political or governmental affairs through different types of media (i.e., newspaper, radio, and television), life satisfaction, fluency in English, frequency with which they attended religious services, religious domination, sex, age, living situation, highest completed level of education, employment, household's living standards, income, and ethnic group.

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Study Description


Inoguchi, Takashi. Asia Europe Survey (ASES): A Multinational Comparative Study in 18 Countries, 2001. ICPSR22324-v1. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium of Political and Social Research [distributor], 2008-06-24. http://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR22324.v1

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This study was funded by:

  • Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Japan) (11102001)

Scope of Study

Subject Terms:   democracy, globalization, government organizations, government performance, knowledge (awareness), life satisfaction, national identity, nationalism, political activism, political affiliation, political attitudes, political awareness, political behavior, political participation, political systems, social identity, social issues, trust in government, voting behavior

Smallest Geographic Unit:   country

Geographic Coverage:   Asia, China (Peoples Republic), Europe, France, Germany, Global, Greece, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom

Time Period:  

  • 2000-10--2000-12

Date of Collection:  

  • 2000-10--2000-12

Unit of Observation:   individual

Universe:   Adults aged 18-79 living in Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Greece.

Data Types:   survey data


Weight:   none

Mode of Data Collection:   face-to-face interview


Original ICPSR Release:  

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