Optimism/Pessimism – Attitudes toward the Future

Summary

The SOEP measured respondents’ attitudes toward the future with an individual item in 1999, 2005, 2009, 2014, and 2019.

Theoretical Background

For pragmatic reasons and to save time, surveys usually measure attitudes about the future and future orientations by asking respondents whether they see the future positively or negatively, that is, optimistically or pessimistically. In the analysis of attitudes toward the future, questions on the nature and emergence of future orientations are of interest (e.g., whether attitudes about the future are less positive in adults than in young people, or whether young women are less optimistic about the future than young men; Trommsdorff, 1994). Furthermore, making assumptions about the future makes it possible to plan and anticipate one’s future actions. Attitudes about the future should therefore provide the basis for decisions and planning behavior.

Scale Development

The question about attitudes toward the future was included in the SOEP on the recommendation of Gisela Trommsdorff. Additional information on the validity of this individual item can be found in Trommsdorff (1994).

References

Trommsdorff, G. (1994). Zukunft als Teil individueller Handlungsorientierungen. In E. Holst, J. P. Rinderspacher & J. Schupp (Hrsg.), Erwartungen an die Zukunft. Zeithorizonte und Wertewandel in der sozialwissenschaftlichen Diskussion (pp. 45-76). Frankfurt a. M.: Campus.

Items

When you think about the future (Wenn Sie an die Zukunft denken):

1. Are you … (Sind Sie da …)

Scale: 1 (optimistic / optimistisch) to 4 (pessimistic / pessimistisch)

Test-Retest Correlations

In 2009, this item was included in a retest taken by a subsample (N = 174) within 30 to 49 days after the initial test. Test-retest correlation was .60.

Items and Scale Statistics

year	variable	count	mean	sd
1999	plh0244	13989	1.99	0.80
2005	plh0244	20981	2.17	0.81
2009	plh0244	20699	2.23	0.81
2014	plh0244	27275	1.89	0.75
2019	plh0244	25816	1.94	0.75