DOI: 10.3886/icpsr04316
title: Washington Post Poll: DC-Region Traffic Poll, January 2005
title: Archival Version

description: This special topic poll, fielded January 27-31, 2005, was
 undertaken to assess public opinion on traffic congestion in the
 Washington, DC, area. Respondents who commuted in the greater
 Washington, DC, area were asked about traffic conditions in the region,
 their primary means of transportation to and from work, the length of
 their commute, what they liked and disliked most about their commute,
 and whether they had ever relocated or adjusted their work schedule to
 improve their commute. Those polled rated the different types of
 public transportation available in the area, how often they used the
 Metrorail subway system, and why they did not ride it more
 often. Views were sought on proposals to expand the Metrorail system
 and build new highways in the area, sources of funding for
 transportation projects, and whether measures such as high occupancy
 vehicle lanes, adjustable tolls, and building new roads were effective
 in easing traffic congestion. Respondents were also asked about the
 type of vehicle they drove, how often they traveled by car, how much
 time they spent driving, and how often driving invoked feelings such
 as independence, relaxation, and anger. A series of questions asked
 respondents how often they and others were guilty of behaviors such as
 speeding or road rage, and whether they engaged in activities such as
 eating or reading while driving. Additional topics addressed the use
 of automatic cameras at traffic lights and stop signs and whether
 existing traffic laws were too tough on teenage drivers. Demographic
 variables included sex, age, race, household income, education level,
and political party affiliation.
description: The data contain a weight variable (WEIGHT) that should be
 used in analyzing the data. The data were weighted using demographic
 information from the Census to adjust for sampling and non-sampling
 deviations from population values. Respondents customarily were
 classified into one of 48 cells based on age, race, sex, and
 education. Weights were assigned so the proportion in each of these 48
 cells matched the actual population proportion according to the Census
Bureau's most recent Current Population Survey.
description: Households were selected by random-digit dialing. Within
 households, the respondent selected was the adult living in the
 household who last had a birthday and who was home at the time of the
interview.
description: Datasets: 
DS1: Washington Post Poll: DC-Region Traffic Poll, January 2005
description: Persons aged 18 and over living in households with
telephones in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.
description: telephone interview(1) The data available for download are not weighted,
 and users will need to weight the data prior to analysis. (2)
 Additional information about sampling, interviewing, and sampling
 error may be found in the codebook. (3) Original reports using these
 data may be found via the
 Washington
 Post Opinion Surveys and Polls Web site. (4) System-missing values
 were recoded to -1. (5) The FIPS variable was recoded for
 confidentiality. (6) Value labels for unknown codes were added in the
 variable MSA. (7) According to the data collection instrument, code 3
 in the variable Q909 also included respondents who answered that they
 had attended a technical school. (8) The CASEID variable was created
for use with online analysis.