Using SDA at Berkeley: Causes of Poverty

This recognition and recall practice is based on the GSS 1972-1996 Cumulative Datafile at Berkeley, which is from the same data as the GSS.SAV file on the disk that came with your Dowdall, Logio, Babbie and Halley (DLBH) SPSS text.

Instructions:

1. Select the GSS File at Berkeley:
   SDA Archive at Berkeley
2. Select GSS Cumulative Datafile 1972-1996.
   This will give your the SDA Demonstration Survey Data Archive. Click the radio button for "Browse codebook in this window."
3. Click on the "Start" button.
   This will give you a new page: 1972-1996 General Social Survey Cumulative File
   
4. In the left-most frame click on "alphabetical order."
   This will give you another page: Index to Pages with Items in Alphabetical Order
   
5. In the main frame click on the last range: "unvote to zodiac", since that is the range that will include "whypoor."
   
6. Scroll down to "whypoor1" POOR SCHOOLS, and click on it.
   Notice that "whypoor1," "whypoor2" "whypoor3," and "whypoor4" all come under "Causes of Poverty."

7. Go back to SDA Demonstration Survey Data Archive
   
8. Under "Select an activity" select "Frequencies". Then click the "Start" button.
   Under row enter "whypoor1". Then click the radio buttons for "Statistics" and "Question Text."
   Then press the "Run the Table" button.

9. Give it a minute, and you'll get Frequencies for "whypoor1."

10. Practice a little until you get the hang of it. Frequencies are a statistic you can use in your social science work, and the Berkeley data files are fairly extensive, so this may be worth your practice time.
11. Now answer the following questions based on the "whypoor1" variable:

Click on the BACK button of your browser to return to the practice.

1. Question: Does the codebook on SDA give you the question that was asked by the survey researchers?

   Yes, it does. But notice that it gives the question text only at the start of the "whypoor" variables. The text is not repeated with each of the four variables.

2. Go back to "Frequencies" and run the frequencies on "whypoor2". Why does the "text for 'whypoor2' say only "loose morals and drunkenness?"

   Remember that this was a telephone survey. The researcher read the questions to the respondent. The researcher would have read the whole text on causes of poverty at the start of the "whypoor" variables, and then have repeated each of the four possible causes which the respondent would rank as either "very important," "somewhat important," or "not important."