General Social Survey 2008 Cross-Section and Panel Combined

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WEIGHING As part of a laboratory experiment, five students measured the weight of the same leaf four times. They recorded 20 slightly different weights. All of the work was done carefully and correctly. Their goal was to be as accurate as possible and reduce error in the experiment to a minimum. Which of the following is the best method to report the weight of the leaf?   0) Inapplicable   1) Ask the teacher to weight in the leaf   2) Report the first measurement   3) Average all of the weights that were recorded   4) Average the highest and lowest weights recorded   5) Discard the lowest five weights   8) Don't know   9) No answer

Pie Chart Bar Chart Cumulative Bar Chart

Category	Frequency	Percentage	Cumulative Percentage	Z-Score
Inapplicable	1538	43.2%	43.2%	-.91
Ask the teacher to weight in the leaf	115	3.2%	46.4%	-.46
Report the first measurement	100	2.8%	49.3%	-.02
Average all of the weights that were recorded	1322	37.1%	86.4%	.42
Average the highest and lowest weights recorded	196	5.5%	91.9%	.87
Discard the lowest five weights	41	1.2%	93.1%	1.31
Don't know	210	5.9%	99%	2.64
No answer	37	1%	100%	3.08

Variable Comparisons

Age Worship attendance Education Gender Race Region Religion Political ideology

Age (I-AGE)

	18-29 years old	30-44 years old	45-59 years old	60-74 years old	75 years and older	TOTAL
Inapplicable	40.6% 234	43.1% 420	41.4% 418	45.2% 300	48.9% 149	43.1% 1521
Ask the teacher to weight in the leaf	2.6% 15	2.8% 27	3.3% 33	3.9% 26	4.6% 14	3.3% 115
Report the first measurement	2.6% 15	3.1% 30	2.9% 29	3.0% 20	2.0% 6	2.8% 100
Average all of the weights that were recorded	42.7% 246	39.0% 380	39.9% 403	33.5% 222	20.0% 61	37.2% 1312
Average the highest and lowest weights recorded	5.9% 34	5.1% 50	5.8% 59	4.4% 29	7.2% 22	5.5% 194
Discard the lowest five weights	1.0% 6	0.9% 9	1.5% 15	1.1% 7	1.3% 4	1.2% 41
Don't know	4.0% 23	5.1% 50	4.2% 42	7.7% 51	13.4% 41	5.9% 207
No answer	0.5% 3	0.8% 8	1.0% 10	1.2% 8	2.6% 8	1.0% 37
TOTAL	100.0% 576	100.0% 974	100.0% 1009	100.0% 663	100.0% 305	3527

Worship attendance (I-ATTEND)

	Never	Several times a year or less	1-3 times a month	Every week or nearly every week	More than once a week	TOTAL
Inapplicable	41.5% 307	42.0% 468	43.2% 234	44.2% 378	48.5% 144	43.2% 1531
Ask the teacher to weight in the leaf	2.7% 20	3.1% 35	3.5% 19	2.5% 21	6.7% 20	3.2% 115
Report the first measurement	2.4% 18	3.1% 35	1.1% 6	3.2% 27	4.4% 13	2.8% 99
Average all of the weights that were recorded	39.8% 294	38.6% 430	39.3% 213	35.1% 300	27.9% 83	37.2% 1320
Average the highest and lowest weights recorded	5.8% 43	6.3% 70	4.1% 22	5.6% 48	4.4% 13	5.5% 196
Discard the lowest five weights	1.2% 9	0.9% 10	1.7% 9	1.4% 12	0.3% 1	1.2% 41
Don't know	5.5% 41	4.9% 55	5.9% 32	7.0% 60	6.7% 20	5.9% 208
No answer	0.9% 7	1.0% 11	1.3% 7	1.1% 9	1.0% 3	1.0% 37
TOTAL	100.0% 739	100.0% 1114	100.0% 542	100.0% 855	100.0% 297	3547

Education (I-EDUC)

	Left high school	High school	Junior college	Bachelor	Graduate	TOTAL
Inapplicable	41.3% 199	43.1% 758	39.6% 120	45.6% 298	44.6% 161	43.2% 1536
Ask the teacher to weight in the leaf	6.0% 29	3.9% 68	1.7% 5	0.9% 6	1.9% 7	3.2% 115
Report the first measurement	5.4% 26	3.1% 54	3.0% 9	0.9% 6	1.4% 5	2.8% 100
Average all of the weights that were recorded	21.2% 102	35.6% 626	45.5% 138	45.3% 296	44.3% 160	37.2% 1322
Average the highest and lowest weights recorded	6.2% 30	6.9% 122	3.0% 9	3.1% 20	4.2% 15	5.5% 196
Discard the lowest five weights	3.5% 17	1.1% 20	0.7% 2	0.3% 2	0.0% 0	1.2% 41
Don't know	15.1% 73	5.2% 92	5.0% 15	3.2% 21	2.5% 9	5.9% 210
No answer	1.2% 6	1.0% 17	1.7% 5	0.8% 5	1.1% 4	1.0% 37
TOTAL	100.0% 482	100.0% 1757	100.0% 303	100.0% 654	100.0% 361	3557

Gender (I-GENDER)

	Male	Female	TOTAL
Inapplicable	41.5% 651	44.6% 887	43.2% 1538
Ask the teacher to weight in the leaf	2.7% 42	3.7% 73	3.2% 115
Report the first measurement	2.2% 35	3.3% 65	2.8% 100
Average all of the weights that were recorded	40.7% 639	34.3% 683	37.1% 1322
Average the highest and lowest weights recorded	5.9% 92	5.2% 104	5.5% 196
Discard the lowest five weights	1.5% 23	0.9% 18	1.2% 41
Don't know	4.6% 72	6.9% 138	5.9% 210
No answer	1.0% 15	1.1% 22	1.0% 37
TOTAL	100.0% 1569	100.0% 1990	3559

Race (I-RACE)

	White	Black	Other	TOTAL
Inapplicable	43.3% 1198	43.4% 213	42.2% 127	43.2% 1538
Ask the teacher to weight in the leaf	2.5% 70	7.9% 39	2.0% 6	3.2% 115
Report the first measurement	2.3% 65	4.1% 20	5.0% 15	2.8% 100
Average all of the weights that were recorded	39.9% 1103	25.5% 125	31.2% 94	37.1% 1322
Average the highest and lowest weights recorded	5.1% 142	7.3% 36	6.0% 18	5.5% 196
Discard the lowest five weights	0.9% 26	2.4% 12	1.0% 3	1.2% 41
Don't know	5.0% 138	8.4% 41	10.3% 31	5.9% 210
No answer	0.9% 25	1.0% 5	2.3% 7	1.0% 37
TOTAL	100.0% 2767	100.0% 491	100.0% 301	3559

Region (I-REGION)

	Northeast	Midwest	South	West	TOTAL
Inapplicable	41.8% 254	43.8% 344	42.4% 558	45.0% 381	43.2% 1537
Ask the teacher to weight in the leaf	3.8% 23	2.9% 23	3.2% 42	3.2% 27	3.2% 115
Report the first measurement	2.3% 14	2.8% 22	3.4% 45	2.2% 19	2.8% 100
Average all of the weights that were recorded	35.7% 217	37.5% 295	37.7% 496	37.1% 314	37.2% 1322
Average the highest and lowest weights recorded	4.1% 25	6.2% 49	6.1% 80	5.0% 42	5.5% 196
Discard the lowest five weights	1.0% 6	1.3% 10	1.2% 16	1.1% 9	1.2% 41
Don't know	9.4% 57	4.3% 34	5.2% 69	5.9% 50	5.9% 210
No answer	2.0% 12	1.1% 9	0.8% 11	0.6% 5	1.0% 37
TOTAL	100.0% 608	100.0% 786	100.0% 1317	100.0% 847	3558

Religion (I-RELIGION)

	Protestant	Catholic	Jewish	None	Other (specify)	TOTAL
Inapplicable	43.5% 791	43.8% 368	32.3% 20	41.4% 241	47.7% 116	43.3% 1536
Ask the teacher to weight in the leaf	3.6% 66	3.0% 25	0.0% 0	2.6% 15	3.7% 9	3.2% 115
Report the first measurement	3.3% 60	3.3% 28	0.0% 0	1.4% 8	1.6% 4	2.8% 100
Average all of the weights that were recorded	36.2% 659	33.3% 280	45.2% 28	44.7% 260	36.2% 88	37.1% 1315
Average the highest and lowest weights recorded	5.5% 100	5.9% 50	6.5% 4	5.8% 34	3.3% 8	5.5% 196
Discard the lowest five weights	1.3% 23	1.1% 9	0.0% 0	1.4% 8	0.0% 0	1.1% 40
Don't know	5.9% 107	8.1% 68	9.7% 6	2.2% 13	6.2% 15	5.9% 209
No answer	0.8% 14	1.5% 13	6.5% 4	0.5% 3	1.2% 3	1.0% 37
TOTAL	100.0% 1820	100.0% 841	100.0% 62	100.0% 582	100.0% 243	3548

Political ideology (I-POLITICS)

	Liberal	Moderate	Conservative	TOTAL
Inapplicable	44.0% 423	43.0% 566	42.4% 488	43.1% 1477
Ask the teacher to weight in the leaf	2.2% 21	3.7% 48	3.4% 39	3.2% 108
Report the first measurement	2.9% 28	3.0% 40	2.4% 28	2.8% 96
Average all of the weights that were recorded	38.9% 374	35.4% 466	40.6% 467	38.1% 1307
Average the highest and lowest weights recorded	5.2% 50	6.2% 82	4.6% 53	5.4% 185
Discard the lowest five weights	0.8% 8	1.4% 19	1.0% 12	1.1% 39
Don't know	5.2% 50	6.0% 79	4.7% 54	5.3% 183
No answer	0.7% 7	1.1% 15	0.8% 9	0.9% 31
TOTAL	100.0% 961	100.0% 1315	100.0% 1150	3426