POLITICAL FIGURE THERMOMETER INTRO

1968-1974:  
(1968,1972: As you know, there were many people mentioned this past year 
as possible  candidates for President [1972: or Vice-President] by the 
political parties.)  
(1970: Several political leaders have already been mentioned as possible 
candidates for President in 1972.)  
(1968-1972: We would like to get your feelings toward some of these 
people.) 
(1974: Now I'd like to get your feelings toward some of our political 
leaders and other people who are in the news these days.)
I have here a card on which there is something that looks like a 
thermometer.  We call it a "feeling thermometer" because it measures  
your feelings toward these people. (1968: You probably remember that we 
used something like this in our earlier interview with you.) 
Here's how it works.  If you don't feel particularly warm or cold toward 
a person, then you should place him in the middle of the thermometer, at 
the 50 degree mark.  If you have a warm feeling toward him or feel 
favorably toward him, you would give him a score somewhere between 50 
degrees and  100 degrees. (1968-1970 only: depending on how warm your 
feeling is toward that person).  On the other hand, if you don't feel 
very favorably toward a person--that is, if you don't care for him too 
much--then you would place him somewhere between 0 degrees and 50 
degrees. Of course, if you don't know too much about a person, just tell 
me and we'll go on to the next name.
1976:
As you know, many people were mentioned this year as possible candidates 
for president or vice-president by the political parties.  We would like 
to get your feelings toward some of these people. 
I'll read the name of each person and I'd like you to rate that person 
with what we call a feeling thermometer. Ratings between 50 and 100 
degrees mean that you feel favorably and warm toward the person, ratings 
between 0 and 50 degrees mean that you don't feel favorably towards the 
person and that you don't care too much for that person.  If you don't 
feel particularly warm or cold toward a person you would rate them at 50 
degrees.  If we come to a person you don't know much about, just tell me 
and we'll move on to the next one.
1978-LATER:  
I'd like to get your feelings toward some of our political leaders and 
other people who are in the news these days (1990: have been in the 
news).  I'll read the name of a person and I'd like you to rate that 
person using (1986-LATER: something we call) the feeling thermometer.  
Ratings between 50 and 100 (1986-LATER: degrees) mean that you feel 
favorably and warm toward the person; ratings between 0 and 50 degrees 
mean that you don't feel favorably toward the person and that you don't 
care too much for that person.  (1986-LATER: You would rate the person 
at the 50 degree mark if you don't feel particularly warm or cold toward 
the person.) If we come to a person whose name you don't recognize, you 
don't need to rate that person.  Just tell me and we'll move on to the 
next one. (1978-1984: If you do recognize the name, but you don't feel 
particularly warm or cold toward the person, then you would rate the 
person at the 50 degree mark.)

NOTES:
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GENERAL  NOTE:
For study years where the same thermometer appeared in both the Pre and 
Post, the Pre data are used.
1968 NOTE:
"Don't know"s were coded 50 on thermometers; groups about which the 
respondent "didn't know much" were also placed at 50 degrees. The 50 
degree mark was labeled "50 degrees; no feeling".
1970 NOTE:
The order of names read varied by form.
1996 NOTE:
The order of thermometers for all individuals except Presidential 
candidates was randomized.  
1998 NOTE:
The order of thermometers for all individuals except the President
(first thermometer) was randomized.
2000 NOTE:
same as 1998
2002 NOTE:
Individual thermometers were administered in one of two possible 
orders, following President (first thermometer).
2004 NOTE:
The order of thermometers for all individuals except the president
(first thermometer) and Ronald Reagan, in retrospect (as the last/
14th thermometer) was randomized.  Overall randomization was devised
as a set of consecutive subrandomizations; major presidental candidates
thermometers other than then incumbent president were randomly
administered as the 2nd-3rd names, follwed by other political figures 
as the 4th-11th randomized thermometers.  Thermometers for the major
parties were randomly administered in the 12th-13th positions.