Social Trends in American Life: Findings from the General Social Survey since 1972

Changes in American social attitudes and behaviors since the 1970s

Social Trends in American Life assembles a team of leading researchers to provide unparalleled insight into how American social attitudes and behaviors have changed since the 1970s. Drawing on the General Social Survey—a social science project that has tracked demographic and attitudinal trends in the United States since 1972—it offers a window into diverse facets of American life, from intergroup relations to political views and orientations, social affiliations, and perceived well-being.

Among the book's many important findings are the greater willingness of ordinary Americans to accord rights of free expression to unpopular groups, to endorse formal racial equality, and to accept nontraditional roles for women in the workplace, politics, and the family. Some, but not all, signs indicate that political conservatism has grown, while a few suggest that Republicans and Democrats are more polarized. Some forms of social connectedness such as neighboring have declined, as has confidence in government, while participation in organized religion has softened. Despite rising standards of living, American happiness levels have changed little, though financial and employment insecurity has risen over three decades.

Social Trends in American Life provides an invaluable perspective on how Americans view their lives and their society, and on how these views have changed over the last two generations.

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Social Trends in American Life: Findings from the General Social Survey since 1972

Changes in American social attitudes and behaviors since the 1970s

Social Trends in American Life assembles a team of leading researchers to provide unparalleled insight into how American social attitudes and behaviors have changed since the 1970s. Drawing on the General Social Survey—a social science project that has tracked demographic and attitudinal trends in the United States since 1972—it offers a window into diverse facets of American life, from intergroup relations to political views and orientations, social affiliations, and perceived well-being.

Among the book's many important findings are the greater willingness of ordinary Americans to accord rights of free expression to unpopular groups, to endorse formal racial equality, and to accept nontraditional roles for women in the workplace, politics, and the family. Some, but not all, signs indicate that political conservatism has grown, while a few suggest that Republicans and Democrats are more polarized. Some forms of social connectedness such as neighboring have declined, as has confidence in government, while participation in organized religion has softened. Despite rising standards of living, American happiness levels have changed little, though financial and employment insecurity has risen over three decades.

Social Trends in American Life provides an invaluable perspective on how Americans view their lives and their society, and on how these views have changed over the last two generations.

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Social Trends in American Life: Findings from the General Social Survey since 1972

Social Trends in American Life: Findings from the General Social Survey since 1972

by Peter V. Marsden (Editor)
Social Trends in American Life: Findings from the General Social Survey since 1972

Social Trends in American Life: Findings from the General Social Survey since 1972

by Peter V. Marsden (Editor)

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Overview

Changes in American social attitudes and behaviors since the 1970s

Social Trends in American Life assembles a team of leading researchers to provide unparalleled insight into how American social attitudes and behaviors have changed since the 1970s. Drawing on the General Social Survey—a social science project that has tracked demographic and attitudinal trends in the United States since 1972—it offers a window into diverse facets of American life, from intergroup relations to political views and orientations, social affiliations, and perceived well-being.

Among the book's many important findings are the greater willingness of ordinary Americans to accord rights of free expression to unpopular groups, to endorse formal racial equality, and to accept nontraditional roles for women in the workplace, politics, and the family. Some, but not all, signs indicate that political conservatism has grown, while a few suggest that Republicans and Democrats are more polarized. Some forms of social connectedness such as neighboring have declined, as has confidence in government, while participation in organized religion has softened. Despite rising standards of living, American happiness levels have changed little, though financial and employment insecurity has risen over three decades.

Social Trends in American Life provides an invaluable perspective on how Americans view their lives and their society, and on how these views have changed over the last two generations.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781400845569
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication date: 08/26/2012
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 408
File size: 10 MB

About the Author

Peter V. Marsden is the Edith and Benjamin Geisinger Professor of Sociology, Harvard College Professor, and Dean of Social Science at Harvard University. He coedited the second edition of the Handbook of Survey Research.

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgments ix
Contributors xiii
1 Introduction and Overview 1
Peter V. Marsden

Trends in Social and Political Orientations

2 On the Seemingly Relentless Progress in Americans' Support for Free
Expression, 1972-2006 19
James A. Davis

3 The Real Record on Racial Attitudes 38
Lawrence D. Bobo, Camille Z. Charles, Maria Krysan, and Alicia D. Simmons

4 Gender Role Attitudes since 1972: Are Southerners Distinctive? 84
Karen E. Campbell and Peter V. Marsden

5 Public Opinion in the "Age of Reagan": Political Trends 1972-2006 117
Jeff Manza, Jennifer A. Heerwig, and Brian J. McCabe

6 Crime, Punishment, and Social Disorder: Crime Rates and Trends in Public Opinion over More Than Three Decades 146
James D. Wright, Jana L. Jasinski, and Drew Noble Lanier

Changes in Confidence and Connections

7 Trends in Confidence in Institutions, 1973-2006 177
Tom W. Smith

8 Continuity and Change in American Religion, 1972-2008 212
Mark Chaves and Shawna Anderson

9 Trends in Informal Social Participation, 1974-2008 240
Peter V. Marsden and Sameer B. Srivastava

Stability and Flux in Social Indicators

10 Income, Age, and Happiness in America 267
Glenn Firebaugh and Laura Tach

11 Religion and Happiness 288
Michael Hout and Andrew Greeley

12 Labor Force Insecurity and U.S. Work Attitudes, 1970s-2006 315
Arne L. Kalleberg and Peter V. Marsden

13 Population Trends in Verbal Intelligence in the United States 338
Duane F. Alwin and Julianna Pacheco

Appendix: The General Social Survey Project 369
Peter V. Marsden and Tom W. Smith

Index 379

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Social Trends in American Life provides a comprehensive examination of the dynamics and roots of some of the most contested issues in U.S. society. The decline of community, the increasing tolerance of difference, and the wavering trust in societal institutions are addressed. Focusing on connections and conditions, this volume offers a nuanced look at what we have thought, felt, and done over the last forty years."—Bernice A. Pescosolido, Indiana University

"Every social scientist, even those not usually interested in attitudes or survey measures of behavior, should read this book as a springboard to thinking about the shifting sands of our social fabric, and the value of assessing it through a consistent mechanism."—Lynn Smith-Lovin, Duke University

"Social Trends in American Life represents a significant statement by many excellent scholars about many areas of change in American society over the past forty years. The treatment of attitude change is comprehensive and shows off the strengths of the unique national resource that is the General Social Survey."—Jeremy Freese, Northwestern University

"This book is a superb compendium of original empirical findings on important trends in American social and economic life, all interpreted by leading scholars. Social Trends in American Life is the gold standard against which all other attempts to document social facts and social trends will be judged."—Stephen L. Morgan, Cornell University

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