The Data Game: Controversies in Social Science Statistics

328 Pages·2012·6.53 MB·English

by  Mark H. Maier, Jennifer Imazeki

The Data Game
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The Data Game
Controversies in Social Science Statistics
Fourth Edition
Mark H. Maier
Glendale Community College
and
Jennifer Imazeki
San Diego State University
Routledge
Taylor & Francis Group
LONDON AND NEW YORK
First published 2013 by M.E. Sharpe
Published 2015 by Routledg e
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Copyright © 2013 Taylor & Francis. All rights reserved.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Maier, Mark, 1950–
The data game : controversies in social science statistics / by Mark H. Maier and Jennifer
Imazeki.—4th ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-7656-2979-1 (hardcover : alk. paper)—ISBN 978-0-7656-2980-7 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Social sciences—Statistical methods. 2. Social problems—Statistics. I. Imazeki, Jennifer.
II. Title.
HA29.M236 2012
300.1’5195—dc23 2012013223
ISBN 13: 9780765629807 (pbk)
ISBN 13: 9780765629791 (hbk)
Contents
(cid:2) (cid:2) (cid:2) (cid:2)
List of Figures, Tables, and Boxes xi
Preface to the Fourth Edition xv
Acknowledgments xvii
1. Introduction 3
The Purpose of This Book 3
How to Use This Book 5
2. Demography 7
Data Sources 8
U.S. Census 8
American Community Survey 8
Vital Statistics 9
Controversies 9
Population Counts 9
Privacy in the Census: Double-Edged Sword? 13
Will There Be a Population Boom? 14
Undocumented Immigrants 15
Race and Ethnicity 17
How Big Is the Gay Population? 24
Households and Families 25
Summary 29
Case Study Questions 30
3. Housing 36
Data Sources 37
U.S. Census 37
American Housing Survey 37
Other Industry Data 37
Price Data 38
Controversies 39
v
vi CONTENTS
Housing Crisis 39
Homeownership 43
Racial Discrimination by Banks 44
Geographic Units 48
Segregation 49
Is Your City the Best Place to Live? 51
Summary 53
Case Study Questions 54
4. Health 60
Data Sources 60
U.S. Health Surveys 60
Other Government Surveys 61
Private Surveys 61
Worldwide Data 61
Controversies 62
Infant Mortality 62
Abortion 63
Are We Living Longer? 63
How to Measure Longevity 66
Cancer 69
HIV/AIDS 72
Are Americans Getting Fatter? 73
Chicago Heat Wave: What Caused the Tragedy? 74
What’s Unsafe on the Road? Speed, Texting, Teens,
Motorcycles, or Alcohol? 75
Drug Use 77
Benefit-Cost Analysis 77
Summary 81
Case Study Questions 81
5. Education 87
Data Sources 87
National Center for Education Statistics 87
U.S. Census Bureau 88
Other Surveys 88
State Data 89
Controversies 89
Poor Data 89
Educational Attainment 90
CONTENTS vii
Testing 93
Charter Schools: Are They More Effective Than Regular
Public Schools? 101
Teacher Compensation 102
Summary 105
Case Study Questions 106
6. Crime 111
Data Sources 111
Uniform Crime Reports 112
National Crime Victimization Survey 113
National Incident-Based Reporting System 114
Controversies 115
UCR, NCVS, or NIBRS? 115
Crime Is Down—And We Don’t Know Why 116
Are There More Female Criminals? 117
Human Trafficking: How Often Does It Occur? 118
Where Is Crime the Worst? 119
Rape 121
Does Poverty Cause Crime? 122
Why Is the Black Crime Rate So High? 123
Does Prison Pay? 124
Hate Crimes 125
Does Capital Punishment Deter Murder? 126
More Guns/More Crime or Less Crime? 128
What About White-Collar Crime? 131
Summary 132
Case Study Questions 133
7. The National Economy 140
Data Sources 141
U.S. Commerce Department 141
U.S. Labor Department 142
U.S. Federal Reserve Board 142
U.S. Small Business Administration 143
International Statistics 143
Controversies 143
Which GDP? 143
Adjusting GDP Growth for Inflation 144
Problems with GDP 145
Underground Economy 146
viii CONTENTS
Intercountry Comparisons 147
Has China Caught Up with the United States? 149
Measuring Productivity 150
The Savings Rate 154
Consumer Confidence 156
International Statistics 157
Summary 159
Case Study Questions 161
8. Wealth, Income, and Poverty 166
Data Sources 167
Wealth 167
Survey of Income and Program Participation 167
Indirect Estimates from Tax Records 167
Direct Counts 168
Income 168
Controversies 169
Wealth 169
Income 172
Are We Better Off? 177
Poverty 181
Summary 185
Case Study Questions 185
9. Labor Statistics 192
Data Sources 192
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 192
U.S. Census Bureau 193
Controversies 193
Unemployment 193
The Minimum Wage and Jobs 199
Unions 201
Is the Workplace Safe? 202
Squirrel Cage or Easier Times? 203
International Labor Statistics 204
Summary 206
Case Study Questions 207
10. Business Statistics 211
Data Sources 211
Public Corporations 212
CONTENTS ix
Privately Held Corporations 213
Small Businesses 214
Aggregate Statistics 214
Controversies 214
Who Is the Biggest of Them All? 214
Are the Big Too Big? 217
Is Small Beautiful? 220
Were the Bailouts a Success? 223
How Much Profit? 224
How Now Dow? 225
Picking Stock Winners 226
Summary 227
Case Study Questions 227
11. Government 232
Data Sources 233
U.S. Budget 233
Military Spending 233
Money 233
Prices 234
Voting Data 234
Controversies 234
How Much for the Military? 234
How Much for Welfare? 236
How Big Is the Deficit? 237
A Debt Monster? 240
Taxes 241
Measuring Money 243
Inflation 246
Currency Rates 248
Fewer Voters? 251
Summary 253
Case Study Questions 253
12. Public Opinion Polling 257
Data Sources 257
Private Polling Organizations 257
Media Polls 258
Research Centers 258
Controversies 259
Sampling 260