Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitudes and reference groups of clerical employees in different employment situations. The firms were selected to give as wide a range as possible of different employment and trade union situations. The firms were given fictitious names.

Main Topics:

Attitudinal/Behavioural Questions Type of firm, job, department and employment history. Satisfaction with pay and work conditions, assessment of job satisfaction and fairness of pay, comparison of pay with other workers. Experience of regrading (opinion and assessment), prospect of change in clerical work, nature and effect of changes. Assessment of present and desired relative influence of different types of employees in the firm. Trade union membership (past and present), reasons for leaving/changing trade unions, whether office held in union, ideal type of union. Opinion on trade union affiliation with the Labour Party, ideal characteristics of a trade union for clerks, reasons for joining trade union, frequency of attendance of union meetings at work/outside work (reasons), trade union literature read. Respondent's perception of union function (present and desired), satisfaction with union representation, whether other/no union membership preferred, willingness to participate in official industrial action. Respondent's assessment of union's recruitment methods and growth, whether respondent felt involved in union affairs, industrial action appropriate for clerks, opinion on pressure for membership. Experience of problems at work (type, outcome, personnel involved). Knowledge and opinion of Equal Pay Act, source of information, attitude to women at work/various social classes. Background Variables Age, sex, marital status, number of children, school-leaving age, educational qualifications, political support, income, subjective social class.

Volunteers, supplemented by quota

Face-to-face interview

Postal survey