ABSTRACT
In order to control for a possible bias caused by the large share of works councillors and union officials in the west German sample, the following analysis was restricted to rank-and-file members (those without an official works council or union post): 312 members in the east and 995 in the west. A bias might also be caused by the larger share of female members in the east; but since women are generally seen as being less committed than men to their union, this should induce an even more individualistic approach in the east, reinforcing the critical character of this study.
