Variables in GSS
Guideline
What is this document?
This document lists the variable names, what they measure, the full wording and response sets of each question from the GSS dataset.
Table A. Guideline of variable types
Variable type | It means |
---|---|
Binary (categorical) | Binary variable: it has two responses |
Nominal (categorical) | Nominal variable: it has more than two responses |
Ordinal (categorical) | Ordinal variable: same as nominal variable, but there is a logical order among categories |
Ordinal âś… (categorical) | âś… next to an ordinal variable indicates that these ordinal variables could be treated as continuous |
Continuous | Continuous variable: numeric variables; real numbers |
COMPUTE | Indicates that it can be computed together with other variables marked with a COMPUTE in the same color under the same table. Note that the computed variable will be continuous. |
RECODE | Indicates that they should be recoded (the direction of the responses should be reversed) before computation or treating them as continuous. After recoding, the new (recoded) variables should be used in analysis. |
Table 1. Basic demographics
Variable name | What it measures? | Variable type | Full wording of the question |
---|---|---|---|
age | respondents' age | Continuous | What is your age? |
educ | respondents' education in years | Continuous | What is the highest year of school you completed? |
degree | education degree | Ordinal | Do you have less than high school, high school, associate/junior college, bachelor's, or graduate degree? (0: less than high school; 1: High school; 2: Associate/junior college; 3: Bachelor's; 4: Graduate) |
coninc | family income | Continuous | What is your family income in dollars? |
conrinc | personal income | Continuous | What is your income in dollars? |
sei10 | socio-economic index score | Continuous | Socio-economic index score of the respondent (calculated) |
spsei10 | socio-economic index score of the respondents’ spouses | Continuous | Socio-economic index score of the respondent's spouse (calculated) |
prestg10 | occupational prestige score | Continuous | Respondent’s occupational prestige score (calculated) |
sppres10 | occupational prestige score of the respondents’ spouses | Continuous | Respondent's spouse occupational prestige score (calculated) |
sex | respondents' sex | Binary | What’s your sex? (1: male; 2: female) |
sexornt | respondents' sexual orientation | Nominal | Which of the following best describes you? (1: gay, lesbian, or homosexual; 2: bisexual; 3: heterosexual or straight) |
race | respondents' race | Nominal | What’s your race? (1: white; 2: black; 3: other) |
marital | respondents' marital status | Nominal | Are you currently--married, widowed, divorced, separated, or have you never been married? (1: married; 2: widowed; 3: divorced; 4: separated; 5: never married) |
sibs | the number of brothers and sisters respondents have | Continuous | How many brothers and sisters do you have? |
childs | the number of children respondents have | Continuous | How many children do you have? |
born | respondents' immigrant status | Binary | Were you born in this country? (1: yes; 2: no) |
region | the region of residence | Nominal | The region respondents lives in (1: New england; 2: Middle atlantic; 3: East north central; 4: West north central; 5: South atlantic; 6: East south atlantic; 7: West south central; 8: Mountain; 9: Pacific) |
dwelown | home ownership | Nominal | (Do you/Does your family) own your (home/apartment), pay rent, or what? (1: Own or is buying; 2: Pays rent; 3: Other) |
partyid | political party affiliation | Nominal | Generally speaking, do you usually think of yourself as a Republican, Democrat, Independent, or what? (0: Strong democrat; 1: Not very strong democrat; 2: Independent, close to democrat; 3: Independent (neither, no response); 4: Independent, close to republican; 5: Not very strong republican; 6:Strong republican; 7: other party) |
polviews | respondents' conservatism level | Ordinal âś… | Do you think of yourself as liberal or conservative? (1: extremely liberal; 2: liberal; 3: slightly liberal; 4: moderate; 5: slightly liberal; 6: conservative; 7: extremely conservative) |
Table 2. Respondents’ parents and adolescence years
Variable name | What it measures? | Variable type | Full wording of the question |
---|---|---|---|
granborn | third generation respondents' immigrant status by generation | Ordinal | Were all of your four grandparents born in this country? A. How many were born outside the United States? (0: none; 1: one; 2: two; 3: three; 4: four) |
res16 | higher population density of residence during adolescence years | Ordinal âś… | Which of the categories on this card comes closest to the type of place you were living in when you were 16 years old? (1: country, nonfarm; 2: farm; 3: town less than 50K; 4: 50K to 250K; 5: big city, suburb; 6: city greater than 250K) |
reg16 | the region of residence during adolescence years | Nominal | In what state or foreign country were you living when you were 16 years old? (0: foreign country; 1: New England; 2: Middle Atlantic; 3: East north central; 4: West north central; 5: South Atlantic; 6: East south Atlantic; 7: West south central; 8: Mountain; 9: Pacific) |
family16 | parental cohabitation status during adolescence years | Nominal | Were you living with both your own mother and father around the time you were 16? (0: other; 1: mother and father; 2: father and stepmother; 3: mother and stepfather; 4: father; 5: mother; 6: male relative; 7: female relative; 8: male and female relatives) |
incom16 | self-assessment of family wealth relative to societal average during adolescence years | Ordinal âś… | Thinking about the time when you were 16 years old, compared with American families in general then, would you say your family income was--far below average, below average, average, above average, or far above average? (1: far below average; 2: below average; 3: average; 4: above average; 5: far above average) |
Table 3. Quality of life - Living standards
Variable name | What it measures? | Variable type | Full wording of the questions |
---|---|---|---|
lifenow | quality of life rating | Ordinal âś… | If you were asked to rate your overall life from 0-10, where 10 represents the best possible state and 0 represents the worst possible state, how would you rate your life today? |
lifein5 | quality of life rating in five years | Ordinal âś… | If you were asked to rate your overall life from 0-10, where 10 represents the best possible state and 0 represents the worst possible state, how do you think you would rate your life five years from today? |
goodlife | the level of optimism about economic opportunity | Ordinal âś… RECODE | The way things are in America, people like me and my family have a good chance of improving our standard of living -- do you agree or disagree? (1: strongly agree; 2: agree; 3: neither agree nor disagree; 4: disagree; 5: strongly disagree) |
finrela | attitude towards higher family income | Ordinal âś… | Compared with American families in general, would you say your family income is far below average, below average, average, above average, or far above average? (1: far below average; 2: below average; 3: average; 4: above average; 5: far above average) |
parsol | the level of higher living standard compared to parents | Ordinal âś… RECODE | Compared to your parents when they were the age you are now, do you think your own standard of living now is much better, somewhat better, about the same, somewhat worse, or much worse than theirs was? (1: much better; 2: somewhat better; 3: about the same; 4: somewhat worse; 5 much worse) |
rank | social ranking level | Ordinal âś… RECODE | In our society there are groups which tend to be towards the top and those that are towards the bottom. Where would you put yourself on this scale? (1: top....10: bottom) |
Table 4. Social life
Variable name | What it measures? | Variable type | Full wording of the questions |
---|---|---|---|
socrel | the frequency of social evening with relatives | Ordinal âś… RECODE | How often do you spend a social evening with relatives (1: almost daily; 2: once or twice a week; 3: several times a month; 4: about once a month; 5: several times a year; 6: about once a year; 7: never) |
socommun | the frequency of social evening with neighbors | Ordinal âś… RECODE | How often do you spend a social evening with neighbors (1: almost daily; 2: once or twice a week; 3: several times a month; 4: about once a month; 5: several times a year; 6: about once a year; 7: never) |
socfrend | the frequency of social evening with friends | Ordinal âś… RECODE | How often do you spend a social evening with friends (1: almost daily; 2: once or twice a week; 3: several times a month; 4: about once a month; 5: several times a year; 6: about once a year; 7: never) |
socbar | the frequency of going to a bar | Ordinal âś… RECODE | How often do you go to a bar? (1: almost daily; 2: once or twice a week; 3: several times a month; 4: about once a month; 5: several times a year; 6: about once a year; 7: never) |
hrsrelax | leisure time hours after work day | Continuous | After an average work day, how many hours do you have to relax or pursue activities that you enjoy? |
wkvsfam | the level of job interfering with family life | Ordinal âś… RECODE | How often do the demands of your job interfere with your family life? (1: often; 2: sometimes; 3: rarely; 4: never) |
Table 5. Work
Variable name | What it measures? | Variable type | Full wording of the questions |
---|---|---|---|
wrkstat | labor force status | Nominal | Last week were you working full time, part time, going to school, keeping house, or what? (1: working full time; 2: working part time; 3: with a job, but not at work because of temporary illness, vacation, strike; 4: unemployed, laid off, looking for work; 5: retired; 6: in school; 7: keeping house; 8: other) |
wrkslf | respondents' employment status | Binary | Are you self employed or do you work for someone else? (1: self employed; 2: for someone else) |
wrktype | work arrangement at main job | Nominal | How would you describe your work arrangement in your main job? (1: independent contractor/consultant/freelance worker; 2: on-call, work only when called to work; 3: paid by a temporary agency; 4: work for contractor who provides workers/services; 5: regular, permanent employee) |
wrksched | usual work schedule | Nominal | Which of the following best describes your usual work schedule? (1: day shift; 2: afternoon shift; 3: night shift; 4: split shift; 5: irregular shift/on-call; 6: rotating shifts) |
secondwk | having a job other than the main job | Binary | Do you have any jobs besides your main job or do any other work for pay? (1: yes; 2: no) |
wrkhome | the frequency of remote work | Ordinal âś… | How often do you work at home as part of your job? (1: never; 2: a few times a year; 3: about once a month; 4: about once a week; 5: more than once a week; 6: worker works mainly at home) |
waypaid | the way respondents are paid in their main job | Nominal | In your main job, are you salaried, paid by the hour, or what? (1: salaried; 2: paid by the hour; 3: other) |
fairearn | perceived pay fairness | Ordinal âś… | How fair is what you earn on your job in comparison to others doing the same type of work you do? (1: much less than you deserve; 2: somewhat less than you deserve; 3: about as much as you deserve; 4: somewhat more than you deserve; 5: much more than you deserve) |
stress | stress level at work | Ordinal âś… RECODE | How often do you find your work stressful? (1: always; 2: often; 3: sometimes; 4: hardly ever; 5: never) |
weekswrk | weeks respondents worked last year | Continuous | In the previous year how many weeks did you work either full-time or part-time not counting work around the house--including paid vacations and sick leave? |
hrs1 | number of hours respondents worked last week | Continuous | How many hours did you work last week, at all jobs? |
phyeffrt | the level of physical effort required at work | Ordinal âś… RECODE | Please rate the overall physical effort at the job you normally do (1: very hard; 2: hard; 3: somewhat hard; 4: fairly light; 5: very light) |
earnrs | the number of family members earned money last year | Continuous | How many persons in the family, including yourself, earned any money last year -[the previous year] - from any job or employment? |
Table 6. Quality of working life
Variable name | What it measures? | Variable type | Full wording of the questions |
---|---|---|---|
learnnew | agreement level with continuous learning in the workplace | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Do you strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with each of these statements? My job requires that I keep learning new things (1: strongly agree; 2: agree; 3: disagree; 4: strongly disagree) |
workfast | agreement level with speed demands in the workplace | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Do you strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with each of these statements? My job requires that I work very fast (1: strongly agree; 2: agree; 3: disagree; 4: strongly disagree) |
workdiff | agreement level with job variety | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Do you strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with each of these statements? I get to do a number of different things on my job (1: strongly agree; 2: agree; 3: disagree; 4: strongly disagree) |
overwork | agreement level with high workplace workload | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Do you strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with each of these statements? I have too much work to do everything well (1: strongly agree; 2: agree; 3: disagree; 4: strongly disagree) |
knowwhat | agreement level with clarity of job expectations | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Do you strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with each of these statements? On my job, I know exactly what is expected of me (1: strongly agree; 2: agree; 3: disagree; 4: strongly disagree) |
myskills | agreement level with skill utilization in the workplace | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Do you strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with each of these statements? My job lets me use my skills and abilities (1: strongly agree; 2: agree; 3: disagree; 4: strongly disagree) |
respect | agreement level with being treated with respect at work | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Do you strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with each of these statements? At the place where I work, I am treated with respect (1: strongly agree; 2: agree; 3: disagree; 4: strongly disagree) |
trustman | agreement level with trust in management | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Do you strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with each of these statements? I trust the management at the place where I work (1: strongly agree; 2: agree; 3: disagree; 4: strongly disagree) |
safetywk | agreement level with management's prioritization of worker safety | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Do you strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with each of these statements? The safety of workers is a high priority with management where I work (1: strongly agree; 2: agree; 3: disagree; 4: strongly disagree) |
safefrst | agreement level with the absence of safety compromises at work | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Do you strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with each of these statements? There are no significant compromises or shortcuts taken when worker safety is at stake (1: strongly agree; 2: agree; 3: disagree; 4: strongly disagree) |
teamsafe | agreement level with collaboration on workplace safety | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Do you strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with each of these statements? Where I work, employees and management work together to ensure the safest possible working conditions (1: strongly agree; 2: agree; 3: disagree; 4: strongly disagree) |
safehlth | agreement level with the quality of safety and health conditions at work | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Do you strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with each of these statements? The safety and health conditions where I work are good (1: strongly agree; 2: agree; 3: disagree; 4: strongly disagree) |
proudemp | agreement level with pride in one's employe | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Do you strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with each of these statements? I am proud to be working for my employer (1: strongly agree; 2: agree; 3: disagree; 4: strongly disagree) |
prodctiv | agreement level with work conditions allow productivity | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Do you strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with each of these statements? Conditions on my job allow me to be about as productive as I could be (1: strongly agree; 2: agree; 3: disagree; 4: strongly disagree) |
wksmooth | agreement level with job conditions for personal productivity | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Do you strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with each of these statements? The place where I work is run in a smooth and effective manner (1: strongly agree; 2: agree; 3: disagree; 4: strongly disagree) |
trdunion | agreement level with the need for strong trade unions for workers | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Do you strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with each of these statements? Workers need strong trade unions to protect their interests (1: strongly agree; 2: agree; 3: disagree; 4: strongly disagree) |
Table 7. Discrimination and harassment at work
Variable name | What it measures? | Variable type | Full wording of the questions |
---|---|---|---|
wkageism | perceived discrimination at work because of age | Binary RECODE COMPUTE | Do you feel in any way discriminated against on your job because of your age? (1: yes; 2: no) |
wkracism | perceived discrimination at work because of race | Binary RECODE COMPUTE | Do you feel in any way discriminated against on your job because of your race or ethnic origin? (1: yes; 2: no) |
wksexism | perceived discrimination at work because of gender | Binary RECODE COMPUTE | Do you feel in any way discriminated against on your job because of your gender? (1: yes; 2: no) |
wkharsex | respondent sexually harassed on the job last 12 months | Binary RECODE COMPUTE | In the last 12 months, were you sexually harassed by anyone while you were on the job? (1: yes; 2: no) |
wkharoth | respondent threatened on the job last 12 months | Binary RECODE COMPUTE | In the last 12 months, were you threatened or harassed in any other way by anyone while you were on the job? (1: yes; 2: no) |
Table 8. Government spending
Variable name | What it measures? | Variable type | Full wording of the questions |
---|---|---|---|
natspac | support level for government spending on space exploration | Ordinal COMPUTE | Are we spending too much money on it, too little money, or about the right amount on the space exploration program? (1: too little; 2: about right; 3: too much) |
natenvir | support level for government spending on environment | Ordinal COMPUTE | Are we spending too much money on it, too little money, or about the right amount on improving and protecting the environment? (1: too little; 2: about right; 3: too much) |
natheal | support level for government spending on the nation's health | Ordinal COMPUTE | Are we spending too much money on it, too little money, or about the right amount on improving and protecting the nation's health? (1: too little; 2: about right; 3: too much) |
natcity | support level for government spending for solving problems of big cities | Ordinal COMPUTE | Are we spending too much money on it, too little money, or about the right amount on solving problems of big cities? (1: too little; 2: about right; 3: too much) |
natcrime | support level for government spending for halting the rising crime rate | Ordinal COMPUTE | Are we spending too much money on it, too little money, or about the right amount on halting the rising crime rate? (1: too little; 2: about right; 3: too much) |
natdrug | support level for government spending for dealing with drug addiction | Ordinal COMPUTE | Are we spending too much money on it, too little money, or about the right amount on dealing with drug addiction? (1: too little; 2: about right; 3: too much) |
nateduc | support level for government spending for improving the nation's education system | Ordinal COMPUTE | Are we spending too much money on it, too little money, or about the right amount on improving the nation's education system? (1: too little; 2: about right; 3: too much) |
natrace | support level for government spending for improving the conditions of Blacks | Ordinal COMPUTE | Are we spending too much money on it, too little money, or about the right amount on improving the conditions of Blacks? (1: too little; 2: about right; 3: too much) |
natarms | support level for government spending for military, armaments, and defense | Ordinal COMPUTE | Are we spending too much money on it, too little money, or about the right amount on military, armaments, and defense? (1: too little; 2: about right; 3: too much) |
nataid | support level for government spending for foreign aid | Ordinal COMPUTE | Are we spending too much money on it, too little money, or about the right amount on foreign aid? (1: too little; 2: about right; 3: too much) |
natfare | support level for government spending for welfare | Ordinal COMPUTE | Are we spending too much money on it, too little money, or about the right amount on welfare? (1: too little; 2: about right; 3: too much) |
natroad | support level for government spending for highways and bridges | Ordinal COMPUTE | Are we spending too much money on it, too little money, or about the right amount on highways and bridges? (1: too little; 2: about right; 3: too much) |
natsoc | support level for government spending for social security | Ordinal COMPUTE | Are we spending too much money on it, too little money, or about the right amount on social security? (1: too little; 2: about right; 3: too much) |
natmass | support level for government spending for mass transportation | Ordinal COMPUTE | Are we spending too much money on it, too little money, or about the right amount on mass transportation? (1: too little; 2: about right; 3: too much) |
natpark | support level for government spending for parks and recreation | Ordinal COMPUTE | Are we spending too much money on it, too little money, or about the right amount on parks and recreation? (1: too little; 2: about right; 3: too much) |
natchld | support level for government spending for assistance for childcare | Ordinal COMPUTE | Are we spending too much money on it, too little money, or about the right amount on assistance for childcare? (1: too little; 2: about right; 3: too much) |
natsci | support level for government spending for supporting scientific research | Ordinal COMPUTE | Are we spending too much money on it, too little money, or about the right amount on supporting scientific research? (1: too little; 2: about right; 3: too much) |
natenrgy | support level for government spending for developing alternative energy sources | Ordinal COMPUTE | Are we spending too much money on it, too little money, or about the right amount on developing alternative energy sources? (1: too little; 2: about right; 3: too much) |
Table 9. Civil liberties - Freedom of speech
Variable name | What it measures? | Variable type | Full wording of the questions |
---|---|---|---|
spkath | perception of allowing an anti-religionist person to make a speech | Binary RECODE COMPUTE | Consider a person who is against all churches and religion. If such a person wanted to make a speech in your (city/town/community) against churches and religion, should he be allowed to speak, or not? (1: allowed; 2: not allowed) |
colath | perception of allowing an anti-religionist person to teach in a college | Binary RECODE COMPUTE | Consider a person who is against all churches and religion. Should such a person be allowed to teach in a college or university, or not? (1: allowed; 2: not allowed) |
libath | perception of allowing a book by an anti-religionist person from the public library | Binary RECODE COMPUTE | If some people in your community suggested that a book he wrote against churches and religion should be taken out of your public library, would you favor removing this book, or not? (1: allowed; 2: not allowed) |
spkrac | perception of allowing a racist person to make a speech | Binary RECODE COMPUTE | Consider a person who believes that Blacks are genetically inferior. If such a person wanted to make a speech in your community claiming that Blacks are inferior, should he be allowed to speak, or not? (1: allowed; 2: not allowed) |
colrac | perception of allowing a racist person to teach in a college | Binary RECODE COMPUTE | Consider a person who believes that Blacks are genetically inferior. Should such a person be allowed to teach in a college or university, or not? (1: allowed; 2: not allowed) |
librac | perception of allowing a book by a racist person from the public library | Binary RECODE COMPUTE | Consider a person who believes that Blacks are genetically inferior. If some people in your community suggested that a book he wrote which said Blacks are inferior should be taken out of your public library, would you favor removing this book, or not? (1: allowed; 2: not allowed) |
spkcom | perception of allowing a communist person to make a speech | Binary RECODE COMPUTE | Consider a person who admits he is a Communist. Suppose this admitted Communist wanted to make a speech in your community. Should he be allowed to speak, or not? (1: allowed; 2: not allowed) |
colcom | perception of allowing a communist person to teach in a college | Binary RECODE COMPUTE | Consider a person who admits he is a Communist. Suppose he is teaching in a college. Should he be fired, or not? (1: allowed; 2: not allowed) |
libcom | perception of allowing a book by a communist person from the public library | Binary RECODE COMPUTE | Consider a person who admits he is a Communist. Suppose he wrote a book which is in your public library. Somebody in your community suggests that the book should be removed from the library. Would you favor removing it, or not? (1: allowed; 2: not allowed) |
spkmslm | perception of allowing a Muslim clergyman preaching hatred of the United States to make a speech | Binary RECODE COMPUTE | Consider a Muslim clergyman who preaches hatred of the United States. If such a person wanted to make a speech in your community preaching hatred of the United States, should he be allowed to speak, or not? (1: allowed; 2: not allowed) |
colmslm | perception of allowing a Muslim clergyman preaching hatred of the United States to teach in a college | Binary RECODE COMPUTE | Consider a Muslim clergyman who preaches hatred of the United States. Should such a person be allowed to teach in a college or university, or not? (1: allowed; 2: not allowed) |
libmslm | perception of allowing a book by a Muslim clergyman preaching hatred of the United States from the public library | Binary RECODE COMPUTE | Consider a Muslim clergyman who preaches hatred of the United States. If some people in your community suggested that a book he wrote which preaches hatred of the United States should be taken out of your public library, would you favor removing this book, or not? (1: allowed; 2: not allowed) |
Table 10. Abortion
Variable name | What it measures? | Variable type | Full wording of the questions |
---|---|---|---|
abdefect | supporting abortion in cases of potential birth defects | Binary RECODE COMPUTE | Should abortion be legal if there is a strong chance of serious defect in the baby? (1: yes; 2: no) |
abnomore | supporting abortion for family planning reasons | Binary RECODE COMPUTE | Should abortion be legal if she is married and does not want any more children? (1: yes; 2: no) |
abhlth | supporting abortion for maternal health reasons | Binary RECODE COMPUTE | Should abortion be legal if the woman's own health is seriously endangered by the pregnancy? (1: yes; 2: no) |
abpoor | supporting abortion for economic reason | Binary RECODE COMPUTE | Should abortion be legal if the family has a very low income and cannot afford any more children? (1: yes; 2: no) |
abrape | supporting abortion in cases of rape | Binary RECODE COMPUTE | Should abortion be legal if she became pregnant as a result of rape? (1: yes; 2: no) |
absingle | supporting abortion in cases of non-marital pregnancy | Binary RECODE COMPUTE | Should abortion be legal if she is not married and does not want to marry the man? (1: yes; 2: no) |
abany | supporting unrestricted abortion rights | Binary RECODE COMPUTE | Should abortion be legal if she wants it for any reason? (1: yes; 2: no) |
Table 11. Affirmative action - concern and support
Variable name | What it measures? | Variable type | Full wording of the questions |
---|---|---|---|
affrmact | support level for preferential hiring and promotion policies for Black people | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Some people say that because of past discrimination, blacks should be given preference in hiring and promotion. Others say that such preference in hiring and promotion of blacks is wrong because it discriminates against whites. What about your opinion -- are you for or against preferential hiring and promotion of blacks? (1: strongly favors; 2: not strongly favors; 3: not strongly opposes; 4: strongly opposes) |
fejobaff | support level for preferential hiring and promotion policies for women | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Some people say that because of past discrimination, women should be given preference in hiring and promotion. Others say that such preference in hiring and promotion of women is wrong because it discriminates against men. What about your opinion - are you for or against preferential hiring and promotion of women? (1: strongly favors; 2: not strongly favors; 3: not strongly opposes; 4: strongly opposes) |
discaffm | concern level for gender-based employment discrimination against men | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | What do you think the chances are these days that a man won't get a job or promotion while an equally or less qualified woman gets one instead? (1: very likely; 2: somewhat likely; 3: somewhat unlikely; 4: very unlikely) |
discaffw | concern level for gender-based employment discrimination against women | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | What do you think the chances are these days that a woman won't get a job or promotion while an equally or less qualified man gets one instead? (1: very likely; 2: somewhat likely; 3: somewhat unlikely; 4: very unlikely) |
discaff | concern level for reverse discrimination in employment | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | What do you think the chances are these days that a white person won't get a job or promotion while an equally or less qualified black person gets one instead? (1: very likely; 2: somewhat likely; 3: somewhat unlikely; 4: very unlikely) |
fehire | support level for special efforts to hire and promote qualified women | Ordinal RECODE | Do you agree that because of past discrimination, employers should make special efforts to hire and promote qualified women? (1: strongly agree; 2: agree; 3: neither agree nor disagree; 4: disagree; 5: strongly disagree) |
Table 12. Religion, religiosity, and spirituality
Variable name | What it measures? | Variable type | Full wording of the questions |
---|---|---|---|
god | confidence in the existence of God | Ordinal ✅ | Respondent's confidence in the existence of God (1: don’t believe; 2: don't know, no way to find out; 3: higher power; 4: believe sometimes; 5: believe with doubts: 6: no doubts about it) |
attend | institutional religiosity | Ordinal âś… | How often do you attend religious services? (0: never; 1:less than once a year; 2: about once or twice a year; 3:several times a year; 4: about once a month; 5: 2-3 times a month; 6: nearly every week; 7: every week; 8: several times a week) |
pray | individual religiosity | Ordinal âś… RECODE | How often do you pray? (1: several times a day; 2:once a day; 3:several times a week; 4:once a week; 5:less than once a week; 6: never) |
relpersn | subjective religiosity | Ordinal âś… RECODE | To what extent do you consider yourself a religious person? (1: very religious; 2: moderately religious; 3: slightly religious; 4 not religious at all) |
sprtprsn | the level of spirituality | Ordinal âś… RECODE | To what extent do you consider yourself a spiritual person? (1: very spiritual; 2: moderately spiritual; 3: slightly spiritual; 4 not spiritual at all) |
postlife | belief in life after death | Binary | Do you believe there is a life after death? (1: yes; 2: no) |
prayer | agreement with the prohibition of mandated Bible readings in schools | Binary | The United States Supreme Court has ruled that no state or local government may require the reading of the Lord's Prayer or Bible verses in public schools. What are your views on this--do you approve or disapprove of the court ruling? (1: approve; 2: disapprove) |
bible | feelings about the Bible | Nominal | Which of these statements comes closest to describing your feelings about the Bible? (1: word of god; 2: inspired word; 3: ancient book; 4: other) |
savesoul | engagement in faith-based outreach | Binary | Have you ever tried to encourage someone to believe in Jesus Christ or to accept Jesus Christ as his or her savior? (1: yes; 2: no) |
Table 13. Intermarriage attitudes
Variable name | What it measures? | Variable type | Full wording of the questions |
---|---|---|---|
marblk | approval rate for intermarriage with black people | Ordinal âś… RECODE | Would you be very in favor of having a close relative or family member marry a Black person? (1: strongly favor; 2: favor; 3: neither favor nor oppose; 4: oppose; 5: strongly oppose) |
marasian | approval rate for intermarriage with asian people | Ordinal âś… RECODE | Would you be very in favor of having a close relative or family member marry an Asian person? (1: strongly favor; 2: favor; 3: neither favor nor oppose; 4: oppose; 5: strongly oppose) |
marhisp | approval rate for intermarriage with hispanic people | Ordinal âś… RECODE | Would you be very in favor of having a close relative or family member marry a Hispanic person? (1: strongly favor; 2: favor; 3: neither favor nor oppose; 4: oppose; 5: strongly oppose) |
marwht | approval rate for intermarriage with white people | Ordinal âś… RECODE | Would you be very in favor of having a close relative or family member marry a White person? (1: strongly favor; 2: favor; 3: neither favor nor oppose; 4: oppose; 5: strongly oppose) |
Table 14. Immigration related questions
Variable name | What it measures? | Variable type | Full wording of the questions |
---|---|---|---|
immcrime | the perception that immigrants increase crime rates | Ordinal âś… RECODE | How much do you agree or disagree that immigrants increase crime rates (1: agree strongly; 2: agree; 3: neither agree nor disagree; 4: disagree; 5: disagree strongly) |
immjobs | the perception that immigrants take jobs away from natives | Ordinal âś… RECODE | How much do you agree or disagree that immigrants take jobs away from people who were born in America (1: agree strongly; 2: agree; 3: neither agree nor disagree; 4: disagree; 5: disagree strongly) |
letin1a | the perception that the number of immigrants should be decreased | Ordinal âś… | Do you think the number of immigrants to America nowadays should be increased or decreased? (1: increased a lot; 2: increased a little; 3: remain the same as it is; 4: reduced a little; 5 reduced a lot) |
Table 15. Happiness and satisfaction
Variable name | What it measures? | Variable type | Full wording of the questions |
---|---|---|---|
happy | happiness level | Ordinal RECODE | Would you say that you are very happy, pretty happy, or not too happy? (1: very happy; 2: pretty happy; 3: not too happy) |
hapmar | marriage happiness level | Ordinal RECODE | Would you say that your marriage is very happy, pretty happy, or not too happy? (1: very happy; 2: pretty happy; 3: not too happy) |
hapcohab | relationship happiness level | Ordinal RECODE | Would you say that your relationship with your partner is very happy, pretty happy, or not too happy? (1: very happy; 2: pretty happy; 3: not too happy) |
life | the level of finding life exciting | Ordinal RECODE | In general, do you find life exciting, pretty routine, or dull? (1: exciting; 2: routine; 3: dull) |
satjob | the level of work satisfaction | Ordinal RECODE | On the whole, how satisfied are you with the work you do? (1: very satisfied; 2: moderately satisfied; 3: a little dissatisfied; 4: very dissatisfied) |
satfin | the level of financial satisfaction | Ordinal RECODE | So far as you and your family are concerned, how satisfied are you with your present financial situation? (1: pretty well satisfied; 2: more or less satisfied; 3: not satisfied at all) |
Table 16. Health
Variable name | What it measures? | Variable type | Full wording of the questions |
---|---|---|---|
health1 | perceived personal health quality | Ordinal âś… RECODE | Would you say that in general your health is Excellent, Very good, Good, Fair, or Poor? (1: excellent; 2: very good; 3: good; 4: fair; 5: poor). |
physhlth | days of physical issues during the past 30 days | Continuous | Now thinking about your physical health, which includes physical illness and injury, for how many days during the past 30 days was your physical health not good? |
mntlhlth | days of mental issues during the past 30 days | Continuous | Now thinking about your mental health, which includes stress, depression, and problems with emotions, for how many days during the past 30 days was your mental health not good? |
usedup | the level of feeling used up | Ordinal âś… RECODE | How often during the past month have you felt used up at the end of the day? (1: very often; 2: often; 3: sometimes; 4: rarely; 5: never). |
slpprblm | the frequency of having trouble sleeping | Ordinal âś… RECODE | During the past 12 months, how often have you had trouble going to sleep or staying asleep? (1: often; 2: sometimes; 3: rarely; 4: never) |
depress | history of depression diagnosis | Binary | Has a doctor, nurse, or other health professional ever told you that you had depression? (1: yes; 2: no) |
backpain | history of back pain diagnosis | Binary | In the past 12 months, have you had back pain every day for a week or more? (1: yes; 2: no) |
painarms | history of pain in arms diagnosis | Binary | In the past 12 months, have you had pain in the hands, wrists, arms, or shoulders every day for a week or more? (1: yes; 2: no) |
hyperten | history of hypertension diagnosis | Binary | Has a doctor, nurse, or other health professional ever told you that you had hypertension or high blood pressure? (1: yes; 2: no) |
arthrtis | history of arthritis or rheumatism diagnosis | Binary | Has a doctor, nurse, or other health professional ever told you that you had arthritis or rheumatism? (1: yes; 2: no) |
diabetes | history of diabetes diagnosis | Binary | Has a doctor, nurse, or other health professional ever told you that you had diabetes or high blood pressure? (1: yes; 2: no) |
Table 17. Same sex couples
Variable name | What it measures? | Variable type | Full wording of the questions |
---|---|---|---|
homosex | support level for sexual relations between two adults of the same sex | Ordinal âś… | What about sexual relations between two adults of the same sex--do you think it is always wrong, almost always wrong, wrong only sometimes, or not wrong at all? (1: always wrong; 2: almost always wrong; 3: wrong only sometimes; 4: not wrong at all) |
marhomo | support level for same-sex marriage | Ordinal âś… RECODE | Do you agree or disagree?: Homosexual couples should have the right to marry one another (1: strongly agree; 2: agree; 3: neither agree nor disagree; 4: disagree; 5: strongly disagree) |
Table 18. Technology and media use
Variable name | What it measures? | Variable type | Full wording of the questions |
---|---|---|---|
usetech | percentage of time use at work using electronic technologies | Continuous | During a typical week, about what percentage of your total time at work would you normally spend using different types of electronic technologies? |
wwwhr | internet use in hours | Continuous | Not counting email, how many hours per week do you use the Web? |
news | the level of reading newspaper | Ordinal âś… RECODE | How often do you read the newspaper? (1: everyday; 2: a few times a week; 3: once a week; 4: less than once a week: 5 never) |
tvhours | television screen time in hours | Continuous | On the average day, how many hours do you personally watch television? |
compuse | the use of computer | Binary | Do you personally ever use a computer at home, at work, or at some other location? (1: yes; 2: no) |
Table 19. Confidence in institutions
Variable name | What it measures? | Variable type | Full wording of the questions |
---|---|---|---|
confinan | confidence level in banks and financial institutions | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Would you say you have confidence in banks and financial institutions (1: a great deal; 2: only some; 3: hardly any) |
conbus | confidence level in major companies | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Would you say you have confidence in major companies (1: a great deal; 2: only some; 3: hardly any) |
conclerg | confidence level in organized religion | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Would you say you have confidence in organized religion (1: a great deal; 2: only some; 3: hardly any) |
coneduc | confidence level in education | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Would you say you have confidence in confidence in education (1: a great deal; 2: only some; 3: hardly any) |
confed | confidence level in executive branch of the federal government | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Would you say you have confidence in executive branch of the federal government (1: a great deal; 2: only some; 3: hardly any) |
conlabor | confidence level in organized labor | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Would you say you have confidence in organized labor (1: a great deal; 2: only some; 3: hardly any) |
conpress | confidence level in press | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Would you say you have confidence in press (1: a great deal; 2: only some; 3: hardly any) |
conmedic | confidence level in medicine | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Would you say you have confidence in medicine (1: a great deal; 2: only some; 3: hardly any) |
contv | confidence level in television | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Would you say you have confidence in television (1: a great deal; 2: only some; 3: hardly any) |
conjudge | confidence level in Supreme Court | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Would you say you have confidence in Supreme Court (1: a great deal; 2: only some; 3: hardly any) |
consci | confidence level in scientific community | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Would you say you have confidence in scientific community (1: a great deal; 2: only some; 3: hardly any) |
conlegis | confidence level in congress | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Would you say you have confidence in Congress (1: a great deal; 2: only some; 3: hardly any) |
conarmy | confidence level in military | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Would you say you have confidence in military (1: a great deal; 2: only some; 3: hardly any) |
Table 20. Eldercare
Variable name | What it measures? | Variable type | Full wording of the questions |
---|---|---|---|
eldhelp | perceptions of family versus state roles in caregiving | Nominal | Thinking about elderly people who need some help in their everyday lives, such as help with grocery shopping, cleaning the house, doing the laundry etc. Who do you think should primarily provide this help? (1: family members; 2: government agencies; 3: non-profit organizations (e.g., charitable organizations, churches/religious organizations); 4: private providers of this kind of help; 5: missing) |
eldcost | opinions on funding for elder care | Binary | Who do you think should primarily cover the costs of this help to these elderly people? (1: The elderly people themselves or their family; 2: The government/public funds) |
rfamlook | time spent on caregiving in hours | Continuous | On average, how many hours a week do you spend looking after family members (e.g. children, elderly, ill or disabled family members)? |
aged | perception of intergenerational living | Nominal | As you know, many older people share a home with their grown children. Do you think this is generally a good idea or a bad idea? (1: a good idea; 2: a bad idea; 3: depends) |
Table 21. Family and gender roles
Variable name | What it measures? | Variable type | Full wording of the questions |
---|---|---|---|
meovrwrk | level of agreement with the negative impact of men's work commitment on family life | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Do you agree or disagree?: Family life often suffers because men concentrate too much on their work (1: strongly agree; 2: agree; 3: neither agree nor disagree; 4: disagree; 5: strongly disagree) |
famsuffr | level of agreement with the negative impact of women's full-time employment on family life | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Do you agree or disagree?: All in all, family life suffers when the woman has a full-time job (1: strongly agree; 2: agree; 3: neither agree nor disagree; 4: disagree; 5: strongly disagree) |
meovrwrk | level of agreement with the negative impact of men's work focus on family life | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Do you agree or disagree?: Family life often suffers because men concentrate too much on their work (1: strongly agree; 2: agree; 3: neither agree nor disagree; 4: disagree; 5: strongly disagree) |
famsuffr | level of agreement with the negative impact of women having full-time jobs on family life | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Do you agree or disagree?: All in all, family life suffers when the woman has a full-time job (1: strongly agree; 2: agree; 3: neither agree nor disagree; 4: disagree; 5: strongly disagree) |
homekid | level of agreement with the statement regarding women's preference for home and children over a job | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Do you agree or disagree?: A job is alright, but what most women really want is a home and children (1: strongly agree; 2: agree; 3: neither agree nor disagree; 4: disagree; 5: strongly disagree) |
housewrk | level of agreement with the fulfillment derived from being a housewife compared to paid employment | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Do you agree or disagree?: Being a housewife is just as fulfilling as working for pay (1: strongly agree; 2: agree; 3: neither agree nor disagree; 4: disagree; 5: strongly disagree) |
marlegit | level of agreement with the necessity of marriage for those who desire children | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Do you agree or disagree?: People who want children ought to get married (1: strongly agree; 2: agree; 3: neither agree nor disagree; 4: disagree; 5: strongly disagree) |
cohabok | level of agreement with the acceptability of couples cohabitating without plans for marriage | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Do you agree or disagree?: It is alright for a couple to live together without intending to get married (1: strongly agree; 2: agree; 3: neither agree nor disagree; 4: disagree; 5: strongly disagree) |
kidnofre | level of agreement with the statement that having children greatly limits parental freedom | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Do you agree or disagree?: Having children interferes too much with the freedom of parents (1: strongly agree; 2: agree; 3: neither agree nor disagree; 4: disagree; 5: strongly disagree) |
hubbywk1 | level of agreement with traditional gender roles in earning and homemaking | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Do you agree or disagree?: A man's job is to earn money; a woman''s job is to look after the home and family (1: strongly agree; 2: agree; 3: neither agree nor disagree; 4: disagree; 5: strongly disagree) |
fechld | level of agreement with the capability of working mothers to establish a warm and secure relationship with their children | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Do you agree or disagree?: A working mother can establish just as warm and secure a relationship with her children as a mother who does not work (1: strongly agree; 2: agree; 3: neither agree nor disagree; 4: disagree; 5: strongly disagree) |
fefam | level of agreement with the belief that traditional roles with the man as the external achiever and the woman as the caretaker are best for everyone involved | Ordinal RECODE COMPUTE | Do you agree or disagree?: It is much better for everyone involved if the man is the achiever outside the home and the woman takes care of the home and family (1: strongly agree; 2: agree; 3: neither agree nor disagree; 4: disagree; 5: strongly disagree) |
Table 22. Police abuse
Variable name | What it measures? | Variable type | Full wording of the questions |
---|---|---|---|
polhitok | support of police violence for some reason | Binary RECODE COMPUTE | Are there any situations you can imagine in which you would approve of a policeman striking an adult male citizen? (1: yes; 2: no) |
polabuse | support of police violence if citizen said vulgar or obscene things | Binary RECODE COMPUTE | if they had said vulgar and obscene things to the policeman would you approve of a policeman striking an adult male citizen? (1: yes; 2: no) |
polmurdr | support of police violence if citizen questioned as murder suspect | Binary RECODE COMPUTE | If they were being questioned as a suspect in a murder case would you approve of a policeman striking an adult male citizen? (1: yes; 2: no) |
polescap | support of police violence if citizen attempting to escape custody | Binary RECODE COMPUTE | If they were attempting to escape from custody would you approve of a policeman striking an adult male citizen? (1: yes; 2: no) |
polattak | support of police violence if citizen attacking policeman with fists | Binary RECODE COMPUTE | If they were attacking the policeman with his fists would you approve of a policeman striking an adult male citizen? (1: yes; 2: no) |
Table 23. Government responsibility - Opposition to social state
Variable name | What it measures? | Variable type | Full wording of the questions |
---|---|---|---|
helppoor | opposition to the view that the government should be responsible for improving the standard of living for poor Americans | Ordinal COMPUTE | Some people think that the government in Washington should do everything possible to improve the standard of living of all poor Americans; they are at Point 1 on this card. Other people think it is not the government's responsibility, and that each person should take care of himself; they are at Point 5. Where would you place yourself on this scale, or haven't you have up your mind on this? (1: government’s responsibility; 2…; 3: agree with both: 4…; 5: each person should take care of himself) |
helpnot | opposition to the belief in government's responsibility to act as a welfare state
| Ordinal COMPUTE | Some people think that the government in Washington is trying to do too many things that should be left to individuals and private businesses. Others disagree and think that the government should Do even more to solve our country's problems. Still others have opinions somewhere in between. Where would you place yourself on this scale, or haven't you made up your mind on this? (1: government should do more; 2…; 3: agree with both: 4…; 5: government does too much) |
helpsick | opposition to the government's responsibility in assisting with doctor and hospital bills. | Ordinal COMPUTE | In general, some people think that it is the responsibility of the government in Washington to see to it that people have help in paying for doctors and hospital bills. Others think that these matters are not the responsibility of the federal government and that people should take care of these things themselves. Where would you place yourself on this scale, or haven't you made up your mind on this? (1: government’s responsibility; 2…; 3: agree with both: 4…; 5: each person should take care of himself) |
helpblk | opposition to the idea that it is the government's responsibility to assist Black people | Ordinal COMPUTE | Some people think that Blacks have been discriminated against for so long that the government has a special obligation to help improve their living standards. Others believe that the government should not be giving special treatment to Blacks. Where would you place yourself on this scale, or haven't you made up your mind on this? (1: government should do more; 2…; 3: agree with both: 4…; 5: no special treatment) |
eqwlth | opposition to the view that the government should reduce the income differences between rich and poor | Ordinal âś… | Do you think the government ought to reduce the income differences between rich and poor? (1: the government should reduce income differences; 7: the government should not concern itself with reducing income differences) |
Table 24. Miscellaneous
Variable name | What it measures? | Variable type | Full wording of the questions |
---|---|---|---|
fear | sense of neighborhood security | Binary | Is there any area right around here--that is, within a mile--where you would be afraid to walk alone at night? (1: yes; 2: no) |
cappun | views on death penalty | Binary | Do you favor or oppose the death penalty for persons convicted of murder? (1: favor; 2: oppose) |
gunlaw | views on gun control measures | Binary | Would you favor or oppose a law which would require a person to obtain a police permit before he or she could buy a gun? (1: favor; 2: oppose) |
owngun | ownership of gun | Nominal | Do you happen to have any guns or revolvers? (1: yes; 2: no; 3: refused) |
courts | views on on criminal justice adequacy | Nominal | In general, do you think the courts in this area deal too harshly or not harshly enough with criminals? (1: too harshly; 2: not harshly enough; 3: about right) |
grass | views on legality of marijuana | Binary | Do you think the use of marijuana should be made legal or not? (1: should be legal; 2: should not be legal) |
sexeduc | views on sex education in public schools | Binary | Would you be for or against sex education in the public schools? (1: favor; 2: oppose) |
raclive | presence of racial diversity in the neighborhood | Binary | Are there any (“whites” for black respondents, “blacks” for non-black respondents) living in this neighborhood now? (1: yes; 2: no) |
spanking | favoring spanking children to discipline | Ordinal âś… RECODE | Do you strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree that it is sometimes necessary to discipline a child with a good, hard spanking? (1: strongly agree; 2: agree; 3: disagree:; 4 strongly disagree) |
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