MathCS.org - Statistics

GSS 2008 Subset Description

The General Social Survey (GSS) conducts basic scientific research on the structure and development of American society with a data-collection program designed to both monitor social change within the United States and to compare the United States to other nations. The GSS data sets contain a standard ‘core’ of demographic and attitudinal questions, plus topics of special interest, representing the population of American adults, 18 years of age or older. Many of the core questions have remain unchanged since 1972 to facilitate time trend studies as well as replication of earlier findings.

The GSS takes the pulse of America, and is a unique and valuable resource. It is the only survey that has tracked the opinions of Americans over an extended period of time. The GSS is also a major teaching tool. There are over 14,000 research uses such as articles in academic journals, books, and Ph.D. dissertations based on the GSS and about 250,000 students annually who use it in their classes. More information about the GSS and its original data sets can be found through their web site http://www.norc.org/GSS+Website/.

Here we have extracted 115 variables from the original GSS survey 2008 and recoded the data for use with a standard spreadsheet program such as Excel as well as the online stats package StatCrunch.

Description of the GSS 2008 (short) Data Set

The GSS 2008 (short) data set is a subset of the original data set, recoded for StatCrunch use. The data set consists of two files, gss2008-short.xls and gss2008-short-2.xls, with a total of 115 variables and 2024 cases. Blank entries denote missing values.

Variables in Data File gss2008-short.xls

  1. ID
  2. RACE
  3. AGE
  4. SEX
  5. MARITAL STATUS
  6. HIGHEST DEGREE
  7. HIGHEST YEAR SCHOOL
  8. FATHER HIGHEST DEGREE
  9. FATHER HIGHEST YEAR SCHOOL
  10. MOTHER HIGHEST DEGREE
  11. MOTHER HIGHEST YEAR SCHOOL
  12. SPOUSE HIGHEST DEGREE
  13. SPOUSE HIGHEST YEAR SCHOOL
  14. BORN IN THIS COUNTRY
  15. NUMBER OF SIBLINGS
  16. NUMBER OF CHILDREN
  17. IDEAL NUMBER OF CHILDREN
  18. AGE WHEN 1ST CHILD BORN
  19. PERSONS IN HOUSEHOLD
  20. LABOR FORCE STATUS
  21. INCOME
  22. FAMILY INCOME
  23. HOW MANY IN FAMILY EARNED MONEY
  24. OPINION OF FAMILY INCOME
  25. SATISFACTION WITH FINANCIAL SITUATION
  26. CHANGE IN FINANCIAL SITUATION
  27. SUBJECTIVE CLASS IDENTIFICATION
  28. WEEKS WORKED LAST YEAR
  29. LIKELY TO LOSE JOB
  30. US CITIZEN
  31. SPEAK LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH
  32. REGION OF INTERVIEW
  33. PARTY AFFILIATION
  34. VOTED IN 2004
  35. WOULD HAVE VOTED FOR IN 2004
  36. MARIJUANA BE MADE LEGAL
  37. LIBERAL OR CONSERVATIVE
  38. DEATH PENALTY FOR MURDER
  39. MAIN SOURCE OF NEWS
  40. HOW OFTEN READ NEWSPAPER
  41. DOES R OR SPOUSE HUNT
  42. GUN IN HOME
  43. LIVING STANDARD COMPARED TO PARENTS
  44. GUN PERMITS
  45. OWN OR RENT HOME
  46. HOURS PER DAY WATCHING TV
  47. MODERN SCI DOES MORE HARM THAN GOOD
  48. HIGHEST LEVEL OF MATH COMPLETED IN HS
  49. NUMBER OF COLLEGE SCI COURSES
  50. QUALITY OF SCIENCE & MATH EDUC IN US IS INADEQUATE
  51. WORDS CORRECT IN VOCAB TEST
  52. SEX BEFORE MARRIAGE
  53. SEX WITH PERSON OTHER THAN SPOUSE
  54. PREFERENTIAL HIRING OF WOMEN
  55. HOW MANY SEX PARTNERS LAST YEAR
  56. HOMOSEXUAL SEX RELATIONS
  57. HOMOSEXUALS SHOULD HAVE RIGHT TO MARRY
  58. HOMOSEXUAL SEX WRONG
  59. PREMARITAL SEX WRONG
  60. NUMBER OF MALE SEX PARTNERS SINCE 18
  61. NUMBER OF FEMALE SEX PARTNERS SINCE 18
  62. SEXUAL ORIENTATION
  63. HAVE SEX OTHER THAN SPOUSE WHILE MARRIED
  64. USED CONDOM LAST TIME
  65. FREQUENCY OF SEX DURING LAST YEAR
  66. RELIGIOUS PREFERENCE
  67. HOW RELIGIOUS
  68. HOW OFTEN ATTENDS RELIGIOUS SERVICES
  69. CONDITION OF HEALTH
  70. CONFID IN EDUCATION
  71. CONFID IN PRESS
  72. CONFID IN TELEVISION
  73. LIFE EXCITING OR DULL
  74. GENERAL HAPPINESS
  75. HAPPINESS OF MARRIAGE

Variables in Data File gss2008-short-2.xls

  1. repeated: ID
  2. repeated: RACE
  3. repeated: AGE
  4. repeated: SEX
  5. repeated: MARITAL STATUS
  6. repeated: HIGHEST DEGREE
  7. repeated: HIGHEST YEAR SCHOOL
  8. repeated: INCOME
  9. repeated: FAMILY INCOME
  10. USE COMPUTER AT WORK
  11. ASTROLOGICAL SIGN
  12. EVER INJECTED DRUGS
  13. INTERNET ACCESS IN HOME
  14. CONFID IN SCHOOLS AND EDUC SYSTEM
  15. CONFID IN ORGANIZED RELIGION
  16. CONFID IN MILITARY
  17. CONFID IN BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY
  18. CONFID IN EDUCATION
  19. CONFID IN PRESS
  20. CONFID IN CHURCHES AND RELIGIOUS ORGS
  21. CONFID IN COURTS AND LEGAL SYSTEM
  22. CONFID IN BANKS & FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
  23. CONFID IN TELEVISION
  24. CONFID IN UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT
  25. CONFID IN MAJOR COMPANIES
  26. CONFID IN CONGRESS
  27. EVER TOOK HS BIOLOGY COURSE
  28. EVER TOOK HS PHYSICS COURSE
  29. EVER TOOK HS CHEMISTRY COURSE
  30. SCI: EARTH GOES AROUND SUN
  31. SCI: ANTIBIOTICS KILL VIRUSES AND BACTERIA
  32. SCI: ALL RADIOACTIVITY MAN-MADE
  33. SCI: CENTER OF EARTH IS VERY HOT
  34. SCI: HUMANS DEVELOPED FROM ANIMALS
  35. SCI: ELECTRONS SMALLER THAN ATOMS
  36. SCI: UNIVERSE BEGAN WITH HUGE EXPLOSION
  37. SCI: FATHER GENE DECIDES SEX OF BABY
  38. SCI: LASERS FOCUS SOUND WAVES
  39. SCI: CONTINENTS HAVE BEEN MOVING
  40. SCI: HOW LONG FOR EARTH TO GO AROUND SUN
  41. WORDS CORRECT IN VOCAB TEST
  42. CONFIDENCE IN ORGANIZED LABOR
  43. HOMOSEXUAL SEX RELATIONS
  44. GOD CONCERNED WITH HUMANS PERSONALLY
  45. LIFE MEANINGFUL BECAUSE GOD EXISTS
  46. BELIEF IN HELL
  47. BELIEF IN HEAVEN
  48. BELIEF IN LIFE AFTER DEATH
  49. BELIEVE IN REINCARNATION
  50. HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE
  51. SOURCE OF HEALTH INSURANCE
  52. INSURANCE COVERS CHILDREN
  53. INSURANCE COVERS SPOUSE