Topic 2 Assessment - Using the General Social Survey (GSS):

The General Social Survey is carried out each year in the United States. The survey questions are answered by approximately 2500 residents of the USA who are carefully chosen to create a representative sample of the US population. This survey is an important way for researchers to study the changing characteristics and attitudes of the US population. If you are curious about this national survey, you can explore it at: http://www.norc.org/Research/Projects/Pages/general-social-survey.aspx

The full survey includes more than 8,000 variables, but the sample we use is limited set. Open the GSS2014sample.sav in SPSS or PSPP and use it to answer the following questions. You may record your answers in the Word file or create your own file for your answers. It is not necessary to copy and paste output - statistics, tables or graphics.

Q1: (a) What is the "n" of the GSS2014sample.sav dataset?

(b) How many variables are included in this version of the GSS?

Q2: I have chosen two variables from the GSS2014sample.sav SPSS data set for you to use to create bivariate comparisons. The variable names and labels are below. Identify the correct level of measurement for each one. Generate a frequency table for each variable, list the categories in the frequency table for each of the variables, then continue to the questions that follow.

Variable Name	Variable Label	Level of Measurement	Categories of the Variable (List the categories)
Degree Independent var.	Respondent's highest degree
Trust Dependent variable	Can people be Trusted?
Immcrime Dependent Variable	Immigrants cause crime

Q3: How does the level of education affect attitudes toward others in the USA? Generate a bivariate display in SPSS or PSPP for the DEGREE variable with the attitude variables that are the dependent variables. (You will have two separate bivariate tables.) If you have not worked with data before, make sure you check the instructions before you create your bivariate display. Then answer the questions below based on your result.

Q3a: The majority of those respondents with a Graduate degree reported what level of trust toward others? Report the category for the variable trust and the associated percentage.

Category _______________ Percentage________

Q3b: True or False? The majority of survey respondent with less than a high school degree were unlikely to trust others.

Q3c. Compare the percentages of respondents in each group who report than others CANNOT be trusted.

Q3d: Overall, as education level increases, does the view of others as trustworthy increase or decrease? Explain your answer in a sentence or two.

Q3e: What percentage of people in total (regardless of education) think other people are not trustworthy? _________

Q3f: Examine the bivariate relationship between the Degree variable and the attitude about immigrants and crime - variable is immcrime. Summarize in a paragraph what you see in the second bivariate table and comment on its relationship with the trust variable.

Q4: What factors have an influence on the number of hours a respondent works per week (hrs1)? Examine the variables of Gender (SexRESP) and Gun Ownership (owngun) to see if there are differences in the average number of hours worked for the groups defined by these two IVs.

Variable Name	Variable Label	Level of Measurement	Categories or Range of the Variable
hrs1 Dependent variable	Number of hours worked last week
sexRESP Independent Variable	Respondent's sex
Owngun Independent variable	Respondent has a gun at home

Reminder: Examine each variable using a frequency table to make sure you understand the levels of measurement so you can chose the correct procedure. If a variable is quantitative, report the RANGE rather than the categories.

Q4a: Is there a difference in the number of hours worked by Males as compared to Females? Report the average weekly number of hours worked by each group.

Males:

Females:

Q4b: Gun ownership is associated with political ideology - with gun owners being more conservative in their political views. What about their work habits? Report the average weekly number of hours worked by each group.

Yes (have a gun at home):

No (do not have a gun at home):

Q4c: Examine the group differences in the standard deviations in each comparison and explain what you understand from these statistics.

Q4d: If you wanted to make a graphical display of the sex and hrs1 variables, what type of display would you use?

Q5. Is the age of a survey respondent associated with the number of hours spent on the internet or the amount of income that the respondent earns?

Review the variables listed, complete the table and then use the appropriate bivariate procedure to look at the associations. Complete the table and then answer the questions that follow.

Variable Name	Variable Label	Level of Measurement	Range of the Variable
Age Independent variable	Age of Respondent
wwwhr Dependent variable	WWW Hours per week
realrinc Dependent variable	Respondent's Income in Constant Dollars

5a: Is the respondent's age associated with the hours spent on the internet? Report the value of the statistic and its direction. How do you understand this association?

5b: Is the respondent's age associated with income? Report the value of the statistic and its direction. How do you understand this association?

Need these all answered!