When someone goes public with a simple, straightforward, good idea,
the audience usually scratches its collective head and wonders why
no one thought of it before. That was my reaction as I read James
A. Davis and Tom W. Smith's short volume on the General Social
Survey (GSS), the first of a new Sage series on major social
science data bases. . . . I suspect there isn't a GSS user out
there who wouldn't learn quite a bit from reading this book. . . .
The knowledge it provides is partly historical, partly practical,
and partly inspirational. . . . The practical sections make up a
very readable and thorough discussion of its study design. . . .
The inspirational part of the book, at least for me is Davis and
Smith's narrative on the variety of studies and collaborative
activity that make the GSS a unique source for comparative,
historical, methodological, and cross-sectional research. . . . For
those who wonder whether their interesting questions have been
answered in previous research, Davis and Smith provide basic
guidelines for finding out who has done what with the GSS.
--Contemporary Sociology "This series will lead to more informed
analysis of existing data sources as well as more insightful
interpretation of studies based on them (for series quote). . . .
In this superb first volume for the series, James A. Davis and Tom
W. Smith have provided a lucid introduction to the history,
philosophy, sampling design, and evolving content of the General
Social Survey (GSS). . . . This guide conveys with both cogency and
liveliness the major features of the GSS. . . . The chapter on
sampling design, which describes both the shift from a block-quota
modified probability sample to a full probability sample and the
switch from a 1970 sample frame to a 1980 sample frame, gives
evidence of the commitment to high quality. . . . The book
communicates an abiding responsiveness to the emerging data needs
of a developing social science. . . . The responsiveness of the GSS
to new data needs, amply evident in the book, is one of its most
laudable features. . . . It is a tribute to Davis and Smith that
their book stimulates the reader not only to order the GSS database
straightaway and carry out tests of some intriguing propositions
but also to make testable some previously untestable propositions
by persuading the GSS to collect information on the propositions'
previously unmeasured parts. This book augurs well for the series."
--Journal of the American Statistical Association "All of the
questions my methods students have asked over the years (and all
I've asked myself) are answered, and then some. . . . The guide is
effective in making the data accessible." --Karen Campbell,
Vanderbilt University "I think this series is a very good idea.
Code books are intimidating for many users, and clear, approachable
guides to major social science data sets will be well received. The
User's Guide to the GSS . . . will ultimately be such a resource. .
. . The section on Design Effects . . . is a very good subject to
include in such a guide." --Dan Krymkowski, Dartmouth College "A
fine introduction to an invaluable social science data resource."
--Judith Tanur, State University of New York, Stony Brook "Should
provide helpful assistance to undergraduates whose exposure to the
GSS may be their first experience with survey research and
quantitative analysis. In addition, it should be a useful tool to
more experienced analysts who need to quickly master the
intricacies of the GSS." --Microcase Forum For any researcher,
student, or teacher using the General Social Survey (GSS), this
book is a must. Written by the two researchers who have directed
the GSS since its inception in 1972, this practical, easy-to-use
volume enables you to exploit this large data set more effectively
than ever before. This volume clearly explains the "rotations" and
"split ballots" in the study design, describes available samples
(including the 1982 and 1987 oversamples of black respondents) and
weights, and discusses interviewer training, quality control,
validation, and coding procedures. In addition, it outlines the
topics covered in the GSS, including the recurrent, replicated
"core" items suitable for trend analyses, the annual topical
modules on subjects of current interest, and the international
modules produced in collaboration with the International Social
Survey Program. And, this guidebook covers the various data sets in
which GSS data are accessible, and directs you to the data banks
that disseminate them. Both novice and experienced GSS users will
find The NORC General Social Survey an invaluable tool.
General
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