STATA/GSS Data Files: This document contains information on the General Social Survey data files. STATA Data Files --------------- Both data files are from the General Social Survey (GSS), which has been conducted nearly every year since 1972 by the National Opinion Research Center in Chicago. The GSS was designed to provide social science researchers with a readily accessible database of socially relevant attitudes, behaviors, and attributes of a cross-section of the U.S. adult population. The GSS surveys a sample of approximately 1500 people from across the United States every year. The data, obtained through a sampling design known as a multistage probability sample, are representative of Americans 18 years and older. This means that the GSS data set allows us to estimate the characteristics, opinions, and behaviors of all noninstitutionalized, English-speaking, American adults in a given year. Three files are included. Two are STATA data files: gss8791.dta Contains respondents from the years 1987 to 1991, with a total of 1,400 randomly chosen respondents gss94.dta Contains 1,000 respondents, also chosen randomly, from the 1994 GSS The third is the file you are currently reading: GSSCODE.TXT Contains definition information for all the variables in the two GSS files. This information includes the variable label, value labels, and missing data codes. You can access this file using any text editor or word processor, and you may want to print it (though it is fairly lengthy), to have it available as a reference. GSS CODEBOOK The following codebook lists all variables included in both gss data files. Each variable is listed with an abbreviated variable name (in capital letters), the exact wording of the question used in the GSS survey, and the response categories with their corresponding codes. **** NOTE: Not all of these variables are in both data files, you will have to examine the data files themselves to determine which variables are in each. **** ABANY Please tell me whether or not you think it should be possible for a pregnant woman to obtain a legal abortion if the woman wants it for any reason? 1 Yes 2 No 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable ABCHOOSE Should it be possible for a pregnant woman to obtain a legal abortion for any reason? 1 Strongly agree 2 Agree 3 Neither agree nor disagree 4 Disagree 5 Strongly disagree 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable ABDEFECT Please tell me whether or not you think it should be possible for a pregnant woman to obtain a legal abortion if there is a strong chance of serious defect in the baby? 1 Yes 2 No 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable ABHLTH Please tell me whether or not you think it should be possible for a pregnant woman to obtain a legal abortion if the woman's own health is seriously endangered by the pregnancy? 1 Yes 2 No 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable ABNOMORE Please tell me whether or not you think it should be possible for a pregnant woman to obtain a legal abortion if she is married and does not want any more children? 1 Yes 2 No 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable ABPOOR Please tell me whether or not you think it should be possible for a pregnant woman to obtain a legal abortion if the family has a very low income and cannot afford any more children? 1 Yes 2 No 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable ABRAPE Please tell me whether or not you think it should be possible for a pregnant woman to obtain a legal abortion if she became pregnant as a result of rape? 1 Yes 2 No 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable ABSINGLE Please tell me whether or not you think it should be possible for a pregnant woman to obtain a legal abortion if she is not married and does not want to marry the man? 1 Yes 2 No 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable AGE Respondent's age 1 10-19 2 20-29 3 30-39 4 40-49 5 50-59 6 60-69 7 70-79 8 80 or over 9 No answer, don't know AGE3 Age in three categories 1 20 to 39 years 2 40 to 59 years 3 60+ years AGEWED How old were you when you were first married? 1 10-19 2 20-29 3 30-39 4 40-49 5 50-59 6 60-69 7 70-79 9 Don't know, no answer 0 Not applicable ATTEND How often do you attend religious services? 0 Never 1 Less than once a year 2 About once or twice a year 3 Several times a year 4 About once a month 5 2-3 times a month 6 Nearly every week 7 Every week 8 Several times a week 9 Don't know, No answer BUSING In general, do you favor or oppose the busing of (Negro/Black) and white school children from one school district to another? 1 Favor 2 Oppose 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable CAPPUN Do you favor or oppose the death penalty for persons convicted of murder? 1 Favor 2 Oppose 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable CHILDNUM How many more children do you expect to have? 1 One 2 Two 3 Three 4 Four 5 Five 6 Six 7 Seven 8 Eight or more 9 No answer, Don't know 0 Not applicable CHILDS How many children have you ever had? Please count all that were born alive at any time (including any you had from a previous marriage). 0 None 1 One 2 Two 3 Three 4 Four 5 Five 6 Six 7 Seven 8 Eight or more 9 No answer CLASS If you were asked to use one of four names for your social class, which would you say you belong in: the lower class, the working class, the middle class, or the upper class? 1 Lower class 2 Working class 3 Middle class 4 Upper class 5 No class (VOLUNTEERED) 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable DEGREE Respondent's degree 0 Less than high school 1 High school 2 Associate/Junior College 3 Bachelor's 4 Graduate 8 Don't know 9 No answer EDLEVEL4 Education in four categories 1 Some high school 2 High school graduate 3 Some college 4 College grad/advanced studies EDUC Respondent's education 00 No formal schooling 01 1st grade 02 2nd grade 03 3rd grade 04 4th grade 05 5th grade 06 6th grade 07 7th grade 08 8th grade 09 9th grade 10 10th grade 11 11th grade 12 12th grade 13 1 year college 14 2 years 15 3 years 16 4 years 17 5 years 18 6 years 19 7 years 20 8 years 98 Don't know 99 No answer EQWLTH Some people think that the government in Washington ought to reduce the income differences between the rich and the poor, perhaps by raising the taxes of wealthy families or by giving income assistance to the poor. Others think the government should not concern itself with reducing this income difference between the rich and the poor. What score between 1 and 7 comes closest to the way you feel? (Scored as either 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7) 1 Government should do something to reduce income differences between rich and poor. 7 Government should not concern itself with income differences. 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable FEAR Is there any area right round here--that is, within a mile-- where you would be afraid to walk alone at night? 1 Yes 2 No 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable FEDTRUST How much of the time do you think you can trust the government in Washington to do what is right--just about always, most of the time, only some of the time, or almost never? 1 Just about always 2 Most of the time 3 Only some of the time 4 Almost never 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable FEWORK Do you approve or disapprove of a married woman earning money in business or industry if she has a husband capable of supporting her? 1 Approve 2 Disapprove 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable FINRELA Compared with American families in general, would you say your family income is far below average, below average, average, above average, or far above average? 1 Far below average 2 Below average 3 Average 4 Above average 5 Far above average 8 Don't know 9 No answer GOVLESS Do you agree or disagree that the government should spend less on benefits for the poor? 1 Strongly agree 2 Agree 3 Neither agree nor disagree 4 Disagree 5 Strongly disagree 8 Can't choose 9 No answer 0 Not applicable GOVMINC Do you agree or disagree that the government should provide everyone with a guaranteed basic income? 1 Strongly agree 2 Agree 3 Neither agree nor disagree 4 Disagree 5 Strongly disagree 8 Can't choose 9 No answer 0 Not applicable HAPMAR Taking things all together, how would you describe your marriage? Would you say that your marriage is very happy, pretty happy, or not too happy? 1 Very happy 2 Pretty happy 3 Not too happy 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable HAPPY Taken all together, how would you say things are these days-- would you say that you are very happy, pretty happy, or not too happy? 1 Very happy 2 Pretty happy 3 Not too happy 8 Don't know 9 No answer HEALTH Would you say your own health, in general, is excellent, good, fair, or poor? 1 Excellent 2 Good 3 Fair 4 Poor 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable HELPBLK Should government specifically help Blacks, or should it provide no special treatment for them? 1 Government should help. 3 Agree with both 5 No special treatment 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable HOMOSEX What about sexual relations between two adults of the same sex-- do you think it is always wrong, almost always wrong, wrong only sometimes, or not wrong at all? 1 Always wrong 2 Almost always wrong 3 Sometimes wrong 4 Not wrong at all 8 Don't know 0 Not applicable HRS1 If working full or part time, how many hours did you work last week, at all jobs? 0 0-9 hours 1 10-19 hours 2 20-29 hours 3 30-39 hours 4 40-49 hours 5 50-59 hours 6 60-69 hours 7 70-79 hours 8 80 or more hours 9 No answer, Don't know, Not applicable INCDEF This variable used government definitions of poverty status to classify how much above or below poverty status a household falls. Imputed cases calculated based on estimated income. Note that negative cases indicate that the respondent's household is below the poverty line. 1 < -$10,000 2 -$10,000 to -$5,000 3 -$4,999 to -$1,000 4 -$999 to +$999 5 +$1,000 to $4,999 6 +$5,000 to $10,000 7 +$10,000 to $20,000 8 > +$20,000 9 Not applicable JOBAFF Some people say that because of past discrimination, blacks should be given preference in hiring and promotion. Others say that such preference in hiring and promotion of blacks is wrong because it discriminates against others. What about your opinion--are you for or against preferential hiring and promotion of blacks? 1 Strongly favor 2 Not strongly favor 3 Not strongly oppose 4 Strongly oppose 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable LIBCOM Consider a person who is a communist. Suppose he wrote a book which is in your library. Somebody in your community suggests that the book be removed from the library. Would you favor removing it, or not? 1 Favor 2 Not favor 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable LIBHOMO And what about a man who admits that he is a homosexual? If some people in your community suggested that a book he wrote in favor of homosexuality should be taken out of your public library, would you favor removing this book, or not? 1 Favor 2 Not favor 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable LIBRAC Or consider a person who believes that Blacks are genetically inferior. If some people in your community suggested a book he wrote which said Blacks are inferior should be taken out of your public library, would you favor removing this book, or not? 1 Favor 2 Not favor 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable MAEDUC Respondent's Mother's Education 00 No formal schooling 01 1st grade 02 2nd grade 03 3rd grade 04 4th grade 05 5th grade 06 6th grade 07 7th grade 08 8th grade 09 9th grade 10 10th grade 11 11th grade 12 12th grade 13 1 year college 14 2 years 15 3 years 16 4 years 17 5 years 18 6 years 19 7 years 20 8 years 97 NOT APPLICABLE (NO PARENTAL SUBSTITUTE) 98 Don't know 99 No answer MARITAL Are you currently married, widowed, divorced, separated, or have you never been married? 1 Married 2 Widowed 3 Divorced 4 Separated 5 Never Married 9 No answer MEMNUM Now we would like to know something about the groups or organizations to which individuals belong. Any membership at all 00 No membership 01 01 02 02 03 03 04 04 05 05 06 06 07 07 08 08 09 09 10 10 11 11 12 12 13 13 14 14 15 15 16 16 99 No answer 0 Not applicable NATFARE We are faced with many problems in this country, none of which can be solved easily or inexpensively. Are we spending too much money on welfare, too little money, or about the right amount? 1 Too little 2 About right 3 Too much 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable NATRACE We are faced with many problems in this country, none of which can be solved easily or inexpensively. Are we spending too much money on improving the conditions of Blacks, too little money, or about the right amount? 1 Too little 2 About right 3 Too much 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable OWNGUN Do you happen to have in your home (IF HOUSE: OR GARAGE) any guns or revolvers? 1 Yes 2 No 8 Don't know 9 No answer, Refused 0 Not applicable PAEDUC Respondent's Father's Education 00 No formal schooling 01 1st grade 02 2nd grade 03 3rd grade 04 4th grade 05 5th grade 06 6th grade 07 7th grade 08 8th grade 09 9th grade 10 10th grade 11 11th grade 12 12th grade 13 1 year college 14 2 years 15 3 years 16 4 years 17 5 years 18 6 years 19 7 years 20 8 years 97 NOT APPLICABLE (NO PARENTAL SUBSTITUTE) 98 Don't know 99 No answer POLVIEWS We hear a lot of talk today about liberals and conservatives. I'm going to show you a seven-point scale on which the political views that people might hold are arranged from extremely liberal--point 1-- to extremely conservative--point 7. Where would you place yourself on this scale? 1 Extremely liberal 2 Liberal 3 Slightly liberal 4 Moderate, middle of the road 5 Slightly conservative 6 Conservative 7 Extremely conservative 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable PORNMORL The next question is about pornography--books, movies, magazines, and photographs that show or describe sex activities. Do you think sexual materials lead to breakdown of morals? 1 Yes 2 No 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable PORNRAPE Does looking at or reading sexual materials lead people to commit rape? 1 Yes 2 No 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable POVLINE This variable used government definitions of poverty status to classify the poverty status of a household. Imputed cases calculated status based on estimated income. 1 Poor 2 Poor--imputed 3 Non-poor 4 Non-poor--imputed 5 Borderline 6 Borderline--imputed 9 Not imputed, not applicable PRAY About how often do you pray? 1 Several times a day 2 Once a day 3 Several times a week 4 Once a week 5 Less than once a week 6 Never 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable PREMARSX There's been a lot of discussion about the way morals and attitudes about sex are changing in this country. If a man and woman have sex relations before marriage, do you think it is always wrong, almost always wrong, wrong only sometimes, or not wrong at all? 1 Always wrong 2 Almost always wrong 3 Wrong only sometimes 4 Not wrong at all 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable PRESTG80 Respondent's Prestige 1 10-19 2 20-29 3 30-39 4 40-49 5 50-59 6 60-69 7 70-79 8 80-89 9 90-99 0 Not applicable, no answer PRESTIGE Respondent's Occupational Prestige 0 Not applicable, No answer, Don't know RACE What race do you consider yourself? 1 White 2 Black 3 Other (specify) RACESEG White people have a right to keep Blacks out of their neighborhoods if they want to and Blacks should respect that right. 1 Agree strongly 2 Agree slightly 3 Disagree slightly 4 Disagree strongly 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable RACESEX Combination of race and sex for whites and blacks. 1 White males 2 Black males 3 White females 4 Black females RACMAR Do you think there should be laws against marriages between (Negroes/Blacks) and whites? 1 Yes 2 No 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable (BLACK) REALINC Family income in constant dollars (base 1986). 999998 Don't know 999999 No answer 0 Not applicable REALRINC Respondent's income in constant dollars (base 1986). 999998 Don't know 999999 No answer 0 Not applicable RELIG What is your religious preference? 1 Protestant 2 Catholic 3 Jewish 4 None 5 Other (specify religion and/or church and denomination) 8 Don't know 9 No answer RINCOME Respondent's income 1 LT $1000 2 $1000 TO 2999 3 $3000 TO 3999 4 $4000 TO 4999 5 $5000 TO 5999 6 $6000 TO 6999 7 $7000 TO 7999 8 $8000 TO 9999 9 $10000 - 14999 10 $15000 - 19999 11 $20000 - 24999 12 $25000 OR MORE 13 REFUSED 98 DK 99 NA 0 Not applicable RUSSIA You will notice that the boxes on this card go from the highest position of "plus 5" for a country which you like very much, to the lowest position of "minus 5" for a country you dislike very much. How far up the scale or how far down the scale would you rate Russia? 0 +5 1 +4 2 +3 3 +2 4 +1 5 -1 6 -2 7 -3 8 -4 9 -5 -1 Don't know, No answer Not applicable SATFAM How much satisfaction do you get from your family life? 1 A very great deal 2 A great deal 3 Quite a bit 4 A fair amount 5 Some 6 A little 7 None 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable SATFIN We are interested in how people are getting along financially these days. So far as you and your family are concerned, would you say that you are pretty well satisfied with your present financial situation, more or less satisfied, or not satisfied at all? 1 Pretty well satisfied 2 More or less satisfied 3 Not satisfied at all 8 Don't know 9 No answer SATFRND How much satisfaction do you get from your friendships? 1 A very great deal 2 A great deal 3 Quite a bit 4 A fair amount 5 Some 6 A little 7 None 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable SATHEALT Referring to your health and physical condition, tell me the number that shows how much satisfaction you get from that area. 1 A very great deal 2 A great deal 3 Quite a bit 4 A fair amount 5 Some 6 A little 7 None 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable SEX Code respondent's sex 1 Male 2 Female SIBS How many brothers and sisters did you have? Please count those born alive, but no longer living, as well as those alive now. Also include stepbrothers and stepsisters, and children adopted by your parents. 00 None 01 One 02 Two 03 Three 04 Four 05 Five 06 Six 07 Seven 08 Eight 09 Nine 10 Ten 11 Eleven 12 Twelve 13 Thirteen 14 Fourteen 15 Fifteen 16 Sixteen 17 Seventeen 18 Eighteen 19 Nineteen 20 Twenty 21 Twenty-one 22 Twenty-two 23 Twenty-three 24 Twenty-four 25 Twenty-five 26 Twenty-six 27 Twenty-seven 31 Thirty-one 68 Sixty-eight 98 Don't know 99 No answer SYMPTBLK How often do you feel sympathy toward Blacks? 1 Very often 2 Fairly often 3 Not too often 4 Never 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable TEMPGEN Do you believe the greenhouse effect is a danger to the environment? 1 Extremely dangerous 2 Dangerous 3 Somewhat dangerous 4 Not very dangerous 5 Not dangerous 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable TRAUMA1 Number of traumatic events (deaths, divorces, unemployments, and hospitalizations-disabilities) happening to respondent last year. 0 None 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 9 No answer Not applicable TRAUMA1A Whether or not respondent experienced a traumatic event last year. 0 No 1 Yes 9 No answer TRAUMA5 Number of traumatic events (deaths, divorces, unemployments, and hospitalizations/disabilities) happening to respondent during last five years. 0 None 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 9 No answer -1 Not Applicable UNION Do you (or your spouse) belong to a labor union? Who? 1 Yes, respondent belongs 2 Yes, spouse belongs 3 Yes, both belong 4 No, neither belong 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable WRKSTAT Last week were you working full time, part time, going to school, keeping house, or what? 1 Working full time 2 Working part time 3 With a job, but not at work because of temporary illness, vacation, strike 4 Unemployed, laid off, looking for work 5 Retired 6 In school 7 Keeping house 8 Other (specify) 9 No Answer 0 Not applicable WRKWAYUP Can Blacks overcome past prejudice without special favors? 1 Agree strongly 2 Agree somewhat 3 Neither agree nor disagree 4 Disagree somewhat 5 Disagree strongly 8 Don't know 9 No answer 0 Not applicable YEAR