ASA NEWSDate: June 11, 2001 Contact: Johanna Ebner(202) 383-9005, ext. 320[email protected]
National Data Program for the Social Sciences to be Presented at Exhibit on Capitol Hill
Washington, DC -- For more than 30 years, the General Social Survey (GSS) has provided a wealth of data on contemporary American society by measuring social change through trends and constants in attitudes, behaviors, and attributes of the adult population. Dr. Tom W. Smith of the National Opinion Research Center, University of Chicago, will present information about the GSS at the 7th Annual Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF) Exhibit on June 13th in Washington DC.
Dr. Smith's exhibit, entitled "National Data Program for the Social Sciences," is sponsored by the American Sociological Association. The CNSF Exhibit will take place on June 13, 2001 at the Rayburn House Office Building from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Rooms B-338, 339, & 340.
The GSS is a regular, ongoing interview survey of U.S. households conducted by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC). Funded primarily through grants from the National Science Foundation, the GSS will celebrate its 30th anniversary of ongoing measurements in 2002. The mission of the GSS is to make timely, high-quality, scientifically relevant data available to social science researchers. It measures Americans' attitudes, experiences, and habits, such as those relating to racial attitudes, gun ownership, and support for civil liberties.
Dr. Smith, Director of the GSS and a lecturer in the Departments of Sociology and Political Science at the University of Chicago, will demonstrate some recent developments relating to the GSS. His presentation will include the Data and Information Retrieval System II (GSSDIRS), a web product linking together codebook, trends, bibliography, project reports, and other documentation. He will also demonstrate the 2000 GSS, which contains supplements on religion, sexual behavior, internet and computer use, childcare, and health and well being. The high quality data of the GSS are available to a broad-based user community, including researchers, college teachers, university students, business planners, media and public officials who want to better understand the pulse of the nation. For further information see http://www.norc.uchicago.edu/gss.
The CNSF is an alliance of organizations united by a concern for the future vitality of the national science, mathematics, and engineering enterprise. CNSF supports the goal of increasing the national investment in the National Science Foundation's research and education program in response to unprecedented scientific, technological, and economic opportunities facing the United States. The exhibition will include 31 displays featuring computer demonstrations, videos, posters, and educational materials about NSF-supported research and education projects. The American Sociological Association is a member of CNSF.
# # #
RSS