Data restored from a 1981 survey show that a majority of Iowans believed cars made in the United States were of the best quality and favored restricting the number of cars foreign manufacturers could sell in the United States. These data come from Iowa Poll #248, a random sample survey of Iowans from April 1981, which has been restored as part of a larger IPOL project to recover lost data from past Iowa Polls.

Iowans were asked, “In general, which one country do you think manufactures the best-quality cars for the general public?” with answer choices including the United States, Japan, Germany, other, and don’t know. A majority (52.8%) chose the United States. Japan followed with 20.7%, and Germany with 14.2%. Another 10.5% answered “don’t know.”

They were also asked, “Do you favor or oppose restricting the number of cars that foreign manufacturers can sell in the United States?” with answer choices of favor restrictions, oppose, or no opinion. A majority (54.0%) answered that they favored restrictions, 38.6% said they opposed them, and 7.4% reported no opinion.

Iowa Poll #248, conducted by the Des Moines Register, was administered to a random sample of 1011 Iowans in April 1981. In addition to the questions about cars, the survey asked respondents their opinions on a wide variety of topics, including the recent assassination attempt on President Reagan, personal finances, school spending, smoking habits, and handgun control. Understanding Iowans’ past opinions on these topics can help us understand how perspectives have changed and what ideas have remained popular. IPOL has also been working with UI Libraries and the Des Moines Register to restore data from dozens of Iowa Polls from the 1960s to early 1980s. More information about the project can be found here. We are working to release a full report on our findings as we analyze additional questions.