General Social Survey 2012 Cross-Section and Panel Combined - Analysis
HELPPOOR
I'd like to talk with you about issues some people tell us are important. Some people think that the government in Washington should do everything possible to improve the standard of living of all poor Americans; they are at point 1 on this card. Other people think it's not the government's responsibility, and that each person should take care of himself; they are at point 5. Where would you place yourself on this scale or haven't you made up your mind on this?
| Frequency | Percent | Cumulative Percent | Z-Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0) Inapplicable | 1562 | 32.4% | 32.4% | -1.12 |
| 1) The government in Washington should do everything possible to improve the standard of living of all poor Americans. | 481 | 10.0% | 42.4% | -0.59 |
| 2) 2 | 389 | 8.1% | 50.5% | -0.06 |
| 3) Agree with both | 1398 | 29.0% | 79.5% | 0.47 |
| 4) 4 | 474 | 9.8% | 89.3% | 1.00 |
| 5) Each person should take care of himself/herself. | 425 | 8.8% | 98.1% | 1.53 |
| 8) Don't know | 85 | 1.8% | 99.9% | 3.12 |
| 9) No answer | 6 | 0.1% | 100.0% | 3.65 |
Age (I-AGE)
| 18-29 | 30-44 | 45-59 | 60-74 | 75 or older | Missing | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inapplicable | 32.9%220 | 33.5%441 | 31.2%421 | 33.9%345 | 28.1%117 | 18 | 32.4%1544 |
| The government in Washington should do everything possible to improve the standard of living of all poor Americans. | 9.0%60 | 8.7%115 | 12.5%168 | 9.1%93 | 10.1%42 | 3 | 10.0%478 |
| 2 | 13.2%88 | 7.9%104 | 7.8%105 | 6.7%68 | 4.8%20 | 4 | 8.1%385 |
| Agree with both | 29.6%198 | 29.8%393 | 27.7%373 | 28.1%286 | 31.0%129 | 19 | 28.9%1379 |
| 4 | 9.0%60 | 11.5%151 | 9.3%126 | 9.8%100 | 8.4%35 | 2 | 9.9%472 |
| Each person should take care of himself/herself. | 4.8%32 | 7.2%95 | 9.6%129 | 10.6%108 | 13.9%58 | 3 | 8.8%422 |
| Don't know | 1.2%8 | 1.4%19 | 1.9%26 | 1.6%16 | 3.4%14 | 2 | 1.7%83 |
| No answer | 0.3%2 | 0.0%0 | 0.1%1 | 0.2%2 | 0.2%1 | 0 | 0.1%6 |
| Missing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 0 |
| Total | 100%668 | 100%1318 | 100%1349 | 100%1018 | 100%416 | 4769 |
Worship attendance (I-ATTEND)
| Less than once a year | Once a year | Several times a year | One to three times a month | Nearly every week | Every week or more | Missing | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inapplicable | 31.8%489 | 32.0%205 | 34.0%160 | 31.0%213 | 32.7%64 | 33.0%421 | 10 | 32.3%1552 |
| The government in Washington should do everything possible to improve the standard of living of all poor Americans. | 10.9%168 | 8.0%51 | 10.2%48 | 9.3%64 | 13.8%27 | 9.7%123 | 0 | 10.0%481 |
| 2 | 10.0%153 | 9.5%61 | 6.2%29 | 8.5%58 | 8.2%16 | 5.7%72 | 0 | 8.1%389 |
| Agree with both | 29.1%447 | 30.9%198 | 30.0%141 | 30.6%210 | 25.5%50 | 27.6%351 | 1 | 29.1%1397 |
| 4 | 8.7%133 | 10.6%68 | 9.1%43 | 11.2%77 | 10.7%21 | 10.2%130 | 2 | 9.8%472 |
| Each person should take care of himself/herself. | 7.7%118 | 7.3%47 | 8.7%41 | 8.2%56 | 8.2%16 | 11.2%143 | 4 | 8.8%421 |
| Don't know | 1.8%28 | 1.6%10 | 1.5%7 | 1.2%8 | 1.0%2 | 2.4%30 | 0 | 1.8%85 |
| No answer | 0.1%1 | 0.0%0 | 0.2%1 | 0.0%0 | 0.0%0 | 0.3%4 | 0 | 0.1%6 |
| Missing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Total | 100%1537 | 100%640 | 100%470 | 100%686 | 100%196 | 100%1274 | 4803 |
Political ideology (I-POLITICS)
| Extremely liberal or liberal | Slightly liberal | Moderate | Slightly conservative | Extremely conservative or conservative | Missing | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inapplicable | 34.0%264 | 29.8%155 | 32.0%562 | 30.0%202 | 34.2%313 | 66 | 32.2%1496 |
| The government in Washington should do everything possible to improve the standard of living of all poor Americans. | 16.6%129 | 10.0%52 | 9.1%159 | 6.4%43 | 6.8%62 | 36 | 9.6%445 |
| 2 | 15.6%121 | 14.2%74 | 7.4%129 | 5.0%34 | 2.8%26 | 5 | 8.3%384 |
| Agree with both | 24.5%190 | 34.2%178 | 34.4%604 | 32.0%216 | 18.5%169 | 41 | 29.2%1357 |
| 4 | 5.1%40 | 6.3%33 | 8.4%147 | 14.8%100 | 16.5%151 | 3 | 10.2%471 |
| Each person should take care of himself/herself. | 3.6%28 | 3.7%19 | 6.9%121 | 9.1%61 | 20.0%183 | 13 | 8.9%412 |
| Don't know | 0.6%5 | 1.3%7 | 1.9%33 | 2.5%17 | 1.1%10 | 13 | 1.6%72 |
| No answer | 0.0%0 | 0.4%2 | 0.0%0 | 0.1%1 | 0.0%0 | 3 | 0.1%3 |
| Missing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 180 | 0 |
| Total | 100%777 | 100%520 | 100%1755 | 100%674 | 100%914 | 4640 |
Race (I-RACE)
| White | Black | Other | Missing | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inapplicable | 32.6%1207 | 33.0%238 | 29.4%117 | 0 | 32.4%1562 |
| The government in Washington should do everything possible to improve the standard of living of all poor Americans. | 7.9%292 | 19.4%140 | 12.3%49 | 0 | 10.0%481 |
| 2 | 7.9%294 | 7.6%55 | 10.1%40 | 0 | 8.1%389 |
| Agree with both | 28.4%1052 | 30.9%223 | 30.9%123 | 0 | 29.0%1398 |
| 4 | 11.4%420 | 3.5%25 | 7.3%29 | 0 | 9.8%474 |
| Each person should take care of himself/herself. | 9.9%368 | 4.2%30 | 6.8%27 | 0 | 8.8%425 |
| Don't know | 1.7%63 | 1.4%10 | 3.0%12 | 0 | 1.8%85 |
| No answer | 0.1%4 | 0.1%1 | 0.3%1 | 0 | 0.1%6 |
| Missing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 100%3700 | 100%722 | 100%398 | 4820 |
Religion (I-RELIGION)
| Protestant | Catholic | Jewish | None | Other | Missing | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inapplicable | 33.0%778 | 32.4%340 | 30.2%26 | 30.9%286 | 33.0%126 | 6 | 32.4%1556 |
| The government in Washington should do everything possible to improve the standard of living of all poor Americans. | 9.9%234 | 10.1%106 | 9.3%8 | 9.9%92 | 9.7%37 | 4 | 9.9%477 |
| 2 | 6.8%161 | 7.8%82 | 12.8%11 | 11.2%104 | 8.1%31 | 0 | 8.1%389 |
| Agree with both | 29.1%688 | 27.2%285 | 30.2%26 | 30.4%281 | 30.1%115 | 3 | 29.0%1395 |
| 4 | 10.1%239 | 9.7%102 | 12.8%11 | 9.6%89 | 8.4%32 | 1 | 9.8%473 |
| Each person should take care of himself/herself. | 9.2%217 | 10.2%107 | 4.7%4 | 6.6%61 | 8.6%33 | 3 | 8.8%422 |
| Don't know | 1.7%41 | 2.3%24 | 0.0%0 | 1.3%12 | 2.1%8 | 0 | 1.8%85 |
| No answer | 0.1%3 | 0.3%3 | 0.0%0 | 0.0%0 | 0.0%0 | 0 | 0.1%6 |
| Missing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Total | 100%2361 | 100%1049 | 100%86 | 100%925 | 100%382 | 4803 |
Sex (I-SEX)
| Male | Female | Missing | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inapplicable | 32.2%687 | 32.6%875 | 0 | 32.4%1562 |
| The government in Washington should do everything possible to improve the standard of living of all poor Americans. | 8.2%175 | 11.4%306 | 0 | 10.0%481 |
| 2 | 8.5%182 | 7.7%207 | 0 | 8.1%389 |
| Agree with both | 27.9%595 | 29.9%803 | 0 | 29.0%1398 |
| 4 | 10.9%233 | 9.0%241 | 0 | 9.8%474 |
| Each person should take care of himself/herself. | 10.5%224 | 7.5%201 | 0 | 8.8%425 |
| Don't know | 1.6%35 | 1.9%50 | 0 | 1.8%85 |
| No answer | 0.0%1 | 0.2%5 | 0 | 0.1%6 |
| Missing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 100%2132 | 100%2688 | 4820 |
