Social Science Data and Software (SSDS) Blog: September 2006 Archives

« August 2006 | Main | October 2006 »

September 29, 2006

Recent ICPSR updates and additions - September 29, 2006

Below is a list of new data collection additions to the ICPSR data archive along with a list of released data collections that have been updated:

NEW ADDITIONS:

4559 Current Population Survey: Annual Social and Economic (ASEC) Survey, 2006
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR-STUDY/04559.xml

4523 ABC News/Washington Post Libby Indictment Two-Nighter Poll, October 2005
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR-STUDY/04523.xml

4471 United States Business and Jobs: Structure and Changes by Sector and County, 1976-1988
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR-STUDY/04471.xml

4046 National Evaluation of the Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grant Program, 1998-2002
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR-STUDY/04046.xml

UPDATES:

3678 Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer's Caregiver Health, 1996-2001, Baseline and Follow-Up Data
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR-STUDY/03678.xml

You can also view a list of all studies added and updated in the last ninety days by visiting the ICPSR Web site at http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/.

Posted by ronbo at 05:24 PM

From ANES List: An invitation for you to a conference on the Psychology of Voting and Elections

Dear ANES community,

You are invited to a conference on:

The Psychology of Voting and Election Campaigns

at Duke University, October 20 and 21, 2006

This exciting interdisciplinary conference will bring together outstanding psychologists with political scientists to address the psychology of elections. Elections transform power relationships and the lives of everyday citizens, but at its core, voting is a psychological act. Understanding why Americans vote as they do illuminates fundamental aspects of human decision-making and social relations. In this spirit, the conference will identify new avenues for developing basic psychological theory through data collected by the American National Election Study surveys between 2007 and 2009. Sixteen scholars will present research that strengthens the critical intellectual bridge between psychology and the investigation of contemporary American politics.

Each presentation will be followed by an extensive discussion among all conference participants of the issues raised during the presentation.

Breakfast will be provided to conference attendees, and a nearby hotel will be available for anyone wishing to attend and stay overnight.

The speakers will include:

- Susan M. Andersen, Department of Psychology, New York University
- Tanya Chartrand, Fuqua School of Business, Duke University
- Geoffrey Cohen, Department of Psychology, University of Colorado
- Gavan J. Fitzsimons, Fuqua School of Business, Duke University
- Jack Glaser, Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley
- John T. Jost, Department of Psychology, New York University
- Charles Judd, Department of Psychology, University of Colorado
- Lee Jussim, Department of Psychology, Rutgers University
- Joachim Krueger, Department of Psychology, Brown University
- Brian Nosek, Department of Psychology, University of Virginia
- Keith Payne, Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina
- Richard E. Petty, Department of Psychology, Ohio State University
- Eldar Shafir, Department of Psychology, Princeton University
- Jim Shah, Department of Psychology, Duke University
- Stacey Sinclair, Department of Psychology, University of Virginia
- Eliot R. Smith, Department of Psychology, Indiana University, Bloomington

The conference is being hosted by Duke University's Social Science Research Institute, in collaboration with the American National Election Studies, and is being funded by the Science Directorate of the American Psychological Association, the Social Science Research Institute at Duke, the Center for Political Studies at the University of Michigan, the American National Election Study, and the National Science Foundation.

Conference organizers are Jon Krosnick (Stanford), Wendy Wood (Duke), Skip Lupia (University of Michigan), and John Aldrich (Duke).

For more information, please consult http://www.ssri.duke.edu/anes/ or contact Barbara Potter (Barbara.Potter@duke.edu).

Posted by ronbo at 04:49 PM

From ANES list: ANES Announces Winning Proposals for its 2006 Pilot Study

September 29, 2006

From March 8 to June 15, 2006, the American National Election Studies introduced a new way of soliciting public input for its surveys. This first ever ANES Online Commons (www.electionstudies.org/onlinecommons.htm) allowed interested persons to propose questions for the 2006 ANES Pilot Study. The Online Commons is designed to increase participation in, and the transparency of, the survey development process. It also provides a forum for participants to exchange ideas about posted proposals or other matters relevant to the scientific study of elections.

The response to this new opportunity was tremendous. Over 300 scholars from a range of scientific disciplines registered for the Online Commons. Collectively, they proposed over 1100 questions – with many coming from younger faculty and graduate students. These proposals remain on the Online Commons and can be viewed at the website listed above.

After the close of the proposal period, an evaluation process commenced. As the purpose of the Pilot Study is to evaluate new questions that have not been included on previous ANES surveys but could prove valuable to scholars if included in the future, the evaluative criteria supported this goal. The evaluation criteria were: novelty of idea, theoretical foundation, empirical support, suitability to ANES, breadth of relevance, controversy-relevance, bridge-building, generalizability, value of pilot data, and the extent to which the likely value of the question to ANES users could be credibly evaluated as a result of inclusion on the pilot study. The evaluation also proceeded with the knowledge that only about 120 of the 1100 questions could be included on the 45 minute Pilot Study. A separate report detailing the evaluation process can be found here: http://www.electionstudies.org/announce/newsltr/ANES_OCprocess_20060929.pdf

The Board and the PIs discussed their evaluations at a two day meeting at Stanford University in late July 2006. After reviewing this feedback further, the PIs began to contact authors of proposals that were best suited to be the basis of Pilot Study questions. They are now well in the process of finalizing the Pilot Study questionnaire. At the same time, the PIs are preparing individualized and detailed responses to the authors of all of the other proposals. These responses not only thank scholars for their contributions for the project and provide feedback but also attempt to build on the content of these proposals so that the ideas may be of greater use to ANES and other studies in the future. These responses are now being sent to Online Commons proposers.

The Principal Investigators would like to thank the hundreds of persons who were involved in making the Online Commons and the design of the 2006 ANES Pilot Study a great success. A new version of the Online Commons will open in October 2006. It will be devoted to the development of the 2007-09 ANES Panel Study. For more information on that study, visit: http://www.electionstudies.org/studypages/future_data_collections.htm

Subject to space availability on the final version of the questionnaire, the following winning proposals have been selected to be the basis of questions for the 2006 ANES Pilot Study. Congratulations!

“Alternative Measures of Partisan Ambivalence”
Marco Steenbergen, UNC Chapel Hill
Howard Lavine, Stony Brook University

"Assessing Sexual Orientation and Contact with Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals"
Patrick Egan, University of California, Berkeley
Randall Sell, Columbia University
Kenneth Sherrill, Hunter College, CUNY

"Basic Values"
Shalom Schwartz, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

"Born-Again Identity"
David Barker, University of Pittsburgh
Lawrence James Zigerell Jr., University of Pittsburgh
Heather Marie Rice, University of Pittsburgh

"Candidate Gender and American Political Behavior"
Kira Sanbonmatsu, Ohio State University
Kathleen Dolan, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee

"Character Judgments and Voting Behavior"
Daniel Molden, Northwestern University

"Collective Identity, Ethnic Organization Participation, and Political Behavior"
Belinda Robnett-Olsen, University of California, Irvine

"Crime, Perceived Criminal Injustice, and Electoral Politics"
John Hagan, Northwestern University
Ross L. Matsueda, University of Washington
Ruth D. Peterson, Ohio State University
Lauren J. Krivo, Ohio State University

"Defensive Confidence and Exposure to Political Information"
Dolores Albarracin, University of Florida
“End Times Beliefs” alternate version proposed by Michael K. Earl, Trinity
University

"Everyday Political Talk"
Vivian Martin, Central Connecticut State University

"Extending Political Efficacy"
Daniel Schneider, Stanford University

"Federalism and Trust in Government"
Joe Gershtenson, Eastern Kentucky University

"Figuring Out Voters' Values"
Steven Hitlin, University of Iowa

"Financial Resources and Security"
Katherine Porter, University of Iowa College of Law
Teresa A. Sullivan, University of Michigan
Deborah Thorne, Ohio University
Elizabeth Warren, Harvard Law School

"Generalized Trust Questions"
Eric M. Uslaner, University of Maryland

"Measuring Ambivalence about Government"
Stephen C. Craig, University of Florida
Jason Gainous, University of Louisville
Michael D. Martinez, University of Florida

"Measuring Political Interest"
Danielle Shani, Princeton University

"The Need for Closure and Political Attitudes"
Christopher Michael Federico, University of Minnesota
John T. Jost, New York University
Antonio Pierro , Universita delgi Studi di Roma
Arie W. Kruglanski, University of Maryland

"New Abortion Items"
David Barker, University of Pittsburgh
Lawrence James Zigerell Jr, University of Pittsburgh
Heather Marie Rice, University of Pittsburgh

"People's Attitudes toward Equality, Redistribution and a Progressive Tax System" by
Ruben Durante, Brown University
Louis Putterman, Brown University

"Perceptions of Entitativity and Similarity of Political Groups"
Sara Ann Crump, UC Santa Barbara
David Hamilton, UC Santa Barbara

"Polarization and Perceived Polarization on Policy Issues""
Charles Judd, University of Colorado
Leaf Van Boven, University of Colorado
David Sherman, University of California, Santa Barbara

"Political Networks"
Betsy Sinclair, Caltech

"Political Trust: Reconciling Theory and Practice"
Dennis L. Plane, Juniata College

"Questions about Social Mood"
Wayne D. Parker, Socionomics Foundation

"Questions Measuring Authoritarianism"
Fred Slocum, Minnesota State University, Mankato

"Religion and Electoral Behavior"
David C. Leege, University of Notre Dame
Stephen T. Mockabee, University of Cincinnati
Kenneth D. Wald, University of Florida

"Self-Monitoring and Political Attitudes"
Adam Berinsky, MIT
Howard Lavine, Stony Brook University

"Sociotropic Voting and the Media"
Stephen Ansolabehere, MIT
Marc Meredith, Stanford GSB
Erik Snowberg, Stanford University
James M. Snyder, Jr., MIT

"Testing a New Generation of Media Use Measures for the ANES"
Scott Althaus, University of Illinois
David Tewksbury, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

"Values Assessment Proposal"
Kennon M Sheldon, University of Missouri-Columbia
Charles Nichols, University of Missouri-Columbia

For details of the evaluation process of the 2006 ANES Pilot Study, please visit the following link: http://www.electionstudies.org/announce/newsltr/ANES_OCprocess_20060929.pdf

ANES is funded by the: National Science Foundation

Posted by ronbo at 04:44 PM

September 27, 2006

From NCES - What's New: School and Parent Interaction by Household Language and Poverty Status: 2002-03

Language minority parents may face a number of challenges when trying to communicate or become involved with their child’s school. This Issue Brief describes school-to-home communication practices and opportunities for parent involvement at school as reported by parents of U.S. school-age students from primarily English- and primarily Spanish-speaking households during the 2002–03 school year. Data are drawn from the Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 2003 National Household Education Surveys Program (NHES), which included English and Spanish language surveys of parents’ perceptions of school communication practices and opportunities for parent involvement. Among the findings: A greater percentage of students in English-speaking households than in Spanish-speaking households had parents who reported receiving personal notes or e-mails about the student; receiving newsletters, memos, or notices addressed to all parents; opportunities to attend general meetings; opportunities to attend school events; and chances to volunteer. Differences were still apparent after taking poverty status into account.

Posted by ronbo at 06:21 PM

September 26, 2006

From Census Update: Hot Tip - New Metro/Micro Page Easier to Navigate

Finding data and definitions for metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas has just gotten much easier. The Census Bureau has redesigned the web site so that users can easily choose from helpful dropdown menus to find current and past definitions of these areas along with their component cities and counties. The redesign comes at the same time as the release of population totals for the 2005 metro and micro areas. Definitions are as of December 2005 and are the same definitions used in the recent release of data from the 2005 American Community Survey.

Incidentally, the metro area with the largest numerical increase in the first half of this decade is Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta; tops in numerical increase between 2004 and 2005 is Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale. The 2005 data include several useful ranking tables for metro and micro areas.

Posted by ronbo at 09:58 PM

From NCES "What's New": International Activities Programs at NCES

NCES has recently updated all of its international websites including International Comparisons (IC), Adult Literacy and Lifeskills (ALL), Civic Education Study (CivEd), Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). The updated website is part of a series of new developments underway to increase access and make the data more consistent and useful to the international education research community. The revised website provides insights into the educational practices and outcomes of the United States. This is achieved through the International Activities Program at NCES, which provides statistical information comparing the educational experiences and trends in other countries to those of the United States. International assessment studies provide answers to questions of how other countries educate their children and with what success. The work that NCES conducts within the International Activities Program is designed to provide comparable indicator data about the activities and outcomes of educational systems and institutions in other nations.

Posted by ronbo at 09:52 PM

NEW NCES REPORT! - Characteristics of the 100 Largest Public Elementary and Secondary School Districts in the United States: 2003-04

This annual report provides basic information from the Common Core of Data about the nation’s largest public school districts in the 2003-04 school year. The data include such characteristics as the numbers of students and teachers, number of high school completers and the averaged freshman graduation rate, and revenues and expenditures.

Several findings were:

* These 100 largest districts enrolled 23 percent of all public school students, and employed 22 percent of all public school teachers, in 2003-04.
* The 100 largest districts produced 20 percent of all high school completers (both diploma and other completion credential recipients) in 2002-03. Across these districts, the averaged freshman graduation rate was 68.8 percent. In 19 of the 100 largest districts the rate was 80 percent or higher. The rate was less than 50 percent in 8 of the 100 largest districts.
* Three states – California, Florida, and Texas – accounted for 41 of the 100 largest public school districts.
* Current per-pupil expenditures in fiscal year 2003 ranged from a low of $4,413 in Alpine School District, Utah to a high of $17,652 in Newark City, New Jersey.

To download, view and print the publication as a PDF file, please visit: http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2006329

Posted by ronbo at 09:30 PM

September 25, 2006

From MEPS list: Update: Continuing Education Institute Workshop

Workshop now offered at no cost

AHRQ's Medical Expenditure Panel Survey and the American Public
Health Association Continuing Education Institute Workshop Set for
November 4

The Continuing Education Institute (CEI) on the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component (MEPS HC) is sponsoring a 1-day workshop on November 4 in Boston, MA, to provide an in-depth learning experience concerning MEPS. The purpose of this workshop is to facilitate the use of the MEPS HC public use data files by the health services research community. The workshop is offered at no cost.The MEPS workshop is approved for CME, CHES, and nursing contact hours credits. See http://www.apha.org/meetings/continuing_ed.htm for registration materials and more information.

Posted by ronbo at 06:01 PM

Roper Center Data Acquisitions Update, August 2006

Click here for a list of new additions to the Roper Center data archive that are now available to Center Members via Roper Express.

Stanford University Libraries maintains a membership to the Roper Center and Stanford faculty, staff, and students can now download data directly accessible via Roper Express. For instructions on requesting data not available via Roper Express, click on the "Data Services - Roper" link on our SSDS web site.

This month the attached PDF contains:

This month the attached PDF contains:

• National Black Feminist Survey conducted by Center for Survey Research & Analysis for Evelyn M. Simien, Ph.D., University of Connecticut, November 4, 2004- January 7, 2005.

• 3 new Horatio Alger Association surveys of high school students conducted 2001-2005.

• Pew Research Center for the People & the Press/The Chicago Council on Foreign Relation’s America’s Place in the World IV conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International, October 12-24, 2005.

• 4 new Kaiser Family Foundation studies conducted by International Communications Research including the Katrina Evacuees Study

These notices have been archived on the Roper Center website at:
http://www.ropercenter.uconn.edu/dataacq/yeartodate.html

Posted by ronbo at 05:58 PM

NEW NCES REPORT! - Projections of Education Statistics to 2015

Projections of Education Statistics to 2015 is the 34th in a series of publications initiated in 1964. This publication provides projections for enrollment, graduates, teachers, and expenditures in elementary and secondary schools, and enrollment and degrees for college and universities. For the Nation, the tables, figures, and text contain data on enrollment, teachers, graduates, and expenditures for the past 14 years and projections to the year 2015. For the 50 States and the District of Columbia, the tables, figures, and text contain data on projections of public elementary and secondary enrollment and public high school graduates to the year 2015. In addition, the report includes a methodology section describing models and assumptions used to develop national and state-level projections.

Some highlights from the report: enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools rose 18 percent between 1990 and 2003 and is projected to increase an additional 6 percent between 2003 and 2015; between 2003 and 2015, private school enrollment is expected to increase by 7 percent; college enrollment rose by 25 percent between 1990 and 2004 and is projected to increase a further 15 percent by 2015; the number of high school graduates increased by 21 percent between 1990-91 and 2002-03 and a further increase of 6 percent is projected by 2015-16.

To download, view and print the publication as a PDF file, please visit: http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2006084

Posted by ronbo at 05:54 PM

Recent ICPSR updates and additions - September 22, 2006

Below is a list of new data collection additions to the ICPSR data archive along with a list of released data collections that have been updated:

NEW ADDITIONS:

3993 Eurobarometer 60.3: Time Allocation for Job, Learning, Family, and Other Activities, Retirement Preferences, and Product Safety Instructions for 'Do-It-Yourself' Products and Toys and Products for Children, November 2003-January 2004
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR-STUDY/03993.xml

4322 CBS News Monthly Poll #2, March 2005
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR-STUDY/04322.xml

4335 American Time Use Survey (ATUS), 2004
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR-STUDY/04335.xml

4339 Evaluation of the Juvenile Breaking the Cycle Program in Lane County, Oregon, 2000-2002
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR-STUDY/04339.xml

4443 Uniform Crime Reporting Program Data [United States]: Arrests by Age, Sex, and Race, 2002
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR-STUDY/04443.xml

4460 Uniform Crime Reporting Program Data [United States]: Arrests by Age, Sex, and Race, 2004
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR-STUDY/04460.xml

4461 Uniform Crime Reporting Program Data [United States]: Arrests by Age, Sex, and Race, Summarized Yearly, 2004
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR-STUDY/04461.xml

4468 National Incident-Based Reporting System, 2004
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR-STUDY/04468.xml

4520 ABC News/Washington Post Hurricane Follow-Up Poll, September 2005
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR-STUDY/04520.xml

13609 Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN): Demographic File, Wave 2, 1997-2000
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR-STUDY/13609.xml

UPDATES:

2878 Use of Computerized Crime Mapping by Law Enforcement in the United States, 1997-1998
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR-STUDY/02878.xml

3059 Chitwan Valley [Nepal] Family Study, 1996-1997
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR-STUDY/03059.xml

3760 Uniform Crime Reporting Program Data [United States]: Arrests by Age, Sex, and Race, 2001
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR-STUDY/03760.xml

You can also view a list of all studies added and updated in the last ninety days by visiting the ICPSR Web site at http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/.

Posted by ronbo at 05:27 PM

September 22, 2006

From MEPS list: Upgraded MEPS Website and Recent Data Products

Major upgrade to the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) Web site

During the first week of September 2006, significant changes were
made to the MEPS Web site. This is the first major upgrade to the
MEPS site since its initial launching over a decade ago.
The new MEPS Web site is designed to be more user-friendly. Content
on the old site was sometimes difficult to locate and often required
going through multiple Web pages; the new site has a more logical
structure and provides multiple ways to find the information you are
seeking in fewer steps.
The new MEPS Web site has a lot of new content. A few examples
include: a complete set of MEPS Household Component questionnaires
for all survey years; an index of topics that provides links to
tables, files, and publications by specific areas of interest;
improved survey methods documentation, including survey sample sizes
and response rates by year; MEPS Insurance Component State data in
spreadsheet formats for all prior years; and improved documentation
throughout the site.
The new MEPS Web site has more powerful databases and search engines.
This will improve the speed, quality, and reliability of searches
and downloads of public use files, publications, and tables.
The new MEPS Web site has been upgraded to meet all current Federal
Web standards.
As with any change, there will be a transition period for those who
were familiar with the old site. For example, if you bookmarked
pages to the old site, those bookmarks will no longer work. If you
have problems finding the information you need, please contact us at
mepsprojectdirector@ahrq.hhs.gov and we will be glad to help you
navigate the new MEPS Web site.

AHRQ is pleased to announce the recent release of the following MEPS
data products and publications:

Recent MEPS Data Products:
MEPS HC-085B: 2004 Dental Visits
Release Date: August 2006
This public use data file is one in a series of event-level public
use data files drawn from the 2004 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey
(MEPS) Household Component (HC). Released as an ASCII file with SAS
and SPSS programming statements and in SAS transport format, the
Dental Visits File provides detailed information on dental events
for a nationally representative sample of the civilian,
noninstitutionalized population of the United Sates during the 2004
calendar year. This file consists of 2004 data obtained in the 2004
portion of round 3 and rounds 4 and 5 for Panel 8, as well as rounds
1, 2, and the 2004 portion of round 3 for Panel 9 of the survey
(i.e., the rounds for the MEPS panels covering calendar year 2004),
and contains variables pertaining to household reported dental
visits. The file includes the date of the dental event, type of
provider seen, if the visit was due to an accident, reason for the
dental event, and whether or not medicines were prescribed. This
file is available on the MEPS website at:
http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/download_data_files_detai
l.jsp?cboPufNumber=HC-085B

MEPS HC-085C: 2004 Other Medical Expenses
Release Date: August 2006
This public use data file is one in a series of event-level public
use data files drawn from the 2004 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey
(MEPS) Household Component (HC). Released as an ASCII file with SAS
and SPSS programming statements and in SAS transport format, this
public use file provides information on the purchase of and
expenditures for medical equipment, supplies, glasses and other
medical items for a nationally representative sample of the civilian
noninstitutionalized population of the United States and can be used
to make estimates of the utilization and expenditures associated
with medical items during the 2004 calendar year. This file consists
of 2004 data obtained in the 2004 portion of round 3 and rounds 4
and 5 for Panel 8, as well as rounds 1, 2 and the 2004 portion of
round 3 for Panel 9 of the survey (i.e., the rounds for the MEPS
panels covering calendar year 2004). This file is available on the
MEPS website at:
http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/download_data_files_detai
l.jsp?cboPufNumber=HC-085C

MEPS HC-085H: 2004 Home Health File
Release Date: August 2006
This public use data file is one in a series of event-level public
use data files drawn from the 2004 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey
(MEPS) Household Component (HC). Household-reported information on
expenditures for home health visits including the type of provider,
type of services received, length of the visit, reason for the
visit, expenditures, and sources of payment. Released as an ASCII
file with SAS and SPSS programming statements and in SAS transport
format, this public use file provides information on home health
care for a nationally representative sample of the civilian
noninstitutionalized population of the United States and can be used
to make estimates of the utilization and expenditures associated
with home health care during the 2004 calendar year. This file
consists of 2004 data obtained in the 2004 portion of round 3 and
rounds 4 and 5 for Panel 8, as well as rounds 1, 2, and the 2004
portion of round 3 for Panel 9 of the survey (i.e., the rounds for
the MEPS panels covering calendar year 2004). This file is available
on the MEPS website at:
http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/download_data_files_detai
l.jsp?cboPufNumber=HC-085H

Recent MEPS Publications:
Statistical Brief #136: The Long-Term Uninsured in America,
2001–2004: Estimates for the U.S. Population under Age 65
Release Date: August 2006
This Statistical Brief provides detailed estimates for the U.S.
civilian noninstitutionalized non-elderly (under age 65) population
that was uninsured for the entire 2001–2004 period and identifies
groups most at risk of lacking any coverage over that four-year
period. Estimates are based on information from the Household
Component of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS-HC) for 2003
and 2004, additional questions in MEPS to determine health insurance
coverage for 2001 and 2002, and health insurance profiles from the
National Health Interview Survey for 2002.The full Statistical Brief
is available on the MEPS website at:
http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_files/publications/st136/stat13
6.pdf

Statistical Brief #137: Treatment of Sore Throats: Antibiotic
Prescriptions and Throat Cultures for Children under 18 Years of
Age, 2002–2004 (Average Annual)
Release Date: August 2006
This Statistical Brief uses data from the Household Component of the
Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS-HC) to examine the
percentages of children under 18 years of age for whom, within the
past 12 months, 1) contact was made with a doctor or other health
professional primarily regarding a serious sore throat, 2) an
antibiotic was prescribed for those who contacted a health
professional, and 3) a throat swab was administered before
prescribing an antibiotic. Variations in these three measures are
examined by selected demographic characteristics and insurance
status. The full Statistical Brief is available on the MEPS website
at:
http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_files/publications/st137/stat13
7.pdf

Posted by ronbo at 04:29 PM

September 08, 2006

From Census Product Update - September 8, 2006

Fact of the Day
Scholars Pay Many Dollars, Receive Some Too

Full-time college students pay an average of $10,560 in college costs per year (tuition, books, room, and board) according to 2001-2002 data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation. Student aid averaged $6,291 and came from Pell Grants (average: $2,701), work study ($3,043), loans ($5,924), employer assistance ($3,600), among other sources. The recently released data show student characteristics, dependency status, enrollment level, marital status, work status, veteran status, and other topics.

In all, over 11 million college students (both full-timers and part-timers) received some form of financial aid outside their families to help pay for their education; about 7.5 million of these were full-time students. Higher education pays off - but costs some dollars to acquire.

Hot Tip
New Metro/Micro Page Easier to Navigate

Posted by ronbo at 02:29 PM

Recent ICPSR updates and additions - September 08, 2006

Below is a list of new data collection additions to the ICPSR data archive along with a list of released data collections that have been updated:

NEW ADDITIONS:

4332 ABC News/Washington Post Supreme Court Poll, July 2005
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR-STUDY/04332.xml

4418 Afrobarometer: Round II Survey of Mali, 2002
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR-STUDY/04418.xml

4530 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, 2004
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR-STUDY/04530.xml

UPDATES:

2766 Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods: Community Survey, 1994-1995
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR-STUDY/02766.xml

4533 Race and the Decision to Seek the Death Penalty in Federal Cases, 1995-2000 [United States]
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR-STUDY/04533.xml

6117 Census of Population and Housing, 1990 [United States]: Summary Tape File 4A
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR-STUDY/06117.xml

7845 Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT): Part I - Current Population Survey, April 1971, Augmented With DOT Characteristics and Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT): Part II - Fourth Edition Dictionary of DOT Scores for 1970 Census Categories
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR-STUDY/07845.xml

You can also view a list of all studies added and updated in the last ninety days by visiting the ICPSR Web site at http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/.

Posted by ronbo at 12:46 PM

September 07, 2006

NCES Newsflash: NEW NCES REPORT! - Certification and Private School Teachers' Transfers to Public Schools

This report uses data from the Teacher Follow-Up Survey (TFS) to report teachers' transitions between public and private schools for teachers with and without certifications in the subjects they teach. In this exploratory study of the association between state certification and private school teachers’ movement to other private schools and public schools between 1987-88 and 2000-01, private school teachers who either obtained a state certification in their main assignment between one year and the next or who switched main assignments into one in which they were state-certified were more likely to change schools than were those without a regular state certification in the subject area of their main assignment. In three out of four time periods, higher percentages of movers who held state certification in year two of the time period only switched to public schools than did those without regular state certifications in their main assignment in either year of the time period. In all four time periods for which data were collected, higher percentages of movers with regular state certifications in both years of the time period moved to public schools than did their peers without the certification. However, regardless of certification status, 11 percent or fewer of private school teachers changed schools during any 2-year period.

To download, view and print the publication as a PDF file, please visit: http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2006081

Posted by ronbo at 11:43 AM

September 06, 2006

Recent ICPSR updates and additions - New Releases on Sept. 1, 2006

Below is a list of new data collection additions to the ICPSR data archive along with a list of released data collections that have been updated:

NEW ADDITIONS:

4186 American Time Use Survey (ATUS), 2003
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR-STUDY/04186.xml

4338 Developing a Comprehensive Empirical Model of Policing in the United States, 1996-1999
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR-STUDY/04338.xml

4541 Union Centralization Among Advanced Industrial Societies: An Empirical Study of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Countries, 1950-2000
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR-STUDY/04541.xml

4545 Development of Crime Forecasting and Mapping Systems for Use by Police in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Rochester, New York, 1990-2001
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR-STUDY/04545.xml

4546 Exploratory Spatial Data Approach to Identify the Context of Unemployment-Crime Linkages in Virginia, 1995-2000
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR-STUDY/04546.xml

4547 Geographies of Urban Crime in Nashville, Tennessee, Portland, Oregon, and Tucson, Arizona, 1998-2002
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR-STUDY/04547.xml

UPDATES:

3625 Omnibus Study, Fall 1973
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR-STUDY/03625.xml

7477 Survey of Consumer Attitudes and Behavior, Winter 1974
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR-STUDY/07477.xml

You can also view a list of all studies added and updated in the last ninety days by visiting the ICPSR Web site at http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/.

Posted by ronbo at 04:03 PM

NCES Newsflash: NEW NCES REPORT! - The Health Literacy of America's Adults: Results from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy

Results from the Health Literacy component of the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) were just released. The health literacy findings are based on the first large-scale national assessment designed specifically to measure the health literacy of adults living in America. This report measures health literacy among American adults including their ability to read, understand, and apply health-related information in English.

Findings include:
* The majority of American adults (53 percent) had Intermediate health literacy. Fewer than 15 percent of adults had either Below Basic or Proficient health literacy.
* Women had higher average health literacy than men.
* Adults who were ages 65 and older had lower average health literacy than younger adults.
* Hispanic adults had lower average health literacy than adults in any other racial/ethnic group.

To download, view and print the publication as a PDF file, please visit: http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2006483

Posted by ronbo at 04:01 PM

Roper Center Newsletter, September 2006

Public Opinion Matters!--"Crime"
http://www.ropercenter.uconn.edu/cgi-bin/hsrun.exe/roperweb/pom/pom.htx;start=HS_special_topics?Topic=crime

How many Americans have been victims of crime? Do you fear or worry about crime in your neighborhood? Do you have confidence in the police? How do you feel about the courts and how they deal with criminals? Find out how others feel about this social issue and more in this month's POM--Crime.

Based on a new topic each month, POM offers a generous free sampling of related polling data and details of survey datasets held by the Roper Center, along with articles previously published in Public Perspective magazine.

Experience the depth of information housed in the Roper Center archives - The complete list of "Public Opinion Matters!" topics. http://www.ropercenter.uconn.edu/cgi-bin/hsrun.exe/Roperweb/pom/pom.htx;start=HS_pom_list

Tip of the month!!

The University of Connecticut and the Board of Directors of the Roper Center are pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Mark Abrahamson as Executive Director of the Roper Center. Abrahamson has been a Professor of Sociology at the University of Connecticut since 1976. During this period he has also served the University as Department Head, Dean and Vice Provost. He was also Program Director at the National Science Foundation. Professor Abrahamson is the author of over one dozen academic books and 40 articles. His appointment as Executive Director is for a period of three years.

Newly spotlighted datasets http://www.ropercenter.uconn.edu/cgi-bin/hsrun.exe/roperweb/Catalog40/Catalog40.htx;start=HS_surveyspot
Updated as of September 1, 2006

Special studies of interest recently added to iPOLL. The database now contains nearly a half million questions!
http://www.ropercenter.uconn.edu/ipoll.html

Title: Immigration Survey [July,2006]
Source: Survey by National Immigration Forum, Manhattan Institute for Policy Research.
Methodology: Conducted by Tarrance Group & Lake Research Partners, July 9-July 13, 2006 and based on telephone interviews with a national registered likely voters sample of 1,100.
Search for: 'immigra%' and organization Tarrance and date from 07/09/2006 to 07/09/2006

Title: Health Poll Report Poll [June,2006]
Source: Survey by Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
Methodology: Conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International, June 8-June 18, 2006 and based on telephone interviews with a national adult sample of 1,217.
Search for: Organization: 'Kaiser'; Date: '06/08/2006 to 06/08/2006'

Additional resources - Web sites with special survey samples

CASA 2006 National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse, Teens and Parents
http://www.casacolumbia.org/absolutenm/articlefiles/380-Teen%20Survey%20XI%20Final%20PDF.pdf

Ipsos-Public Affairs – Vast Majority of Mississippi and Louisiana Homeowners Satisfied With Their Insurance Companies in Wake of Hurricane Katrina
http://www.ipsos-na.com/news/pressrelease.cfm?id=3168

Opinion Research Group for NYSE Group NYSE CEO Report 2007 Planning for Growth, Valuing People
http://www.opinionresearch.com/news/NYSECEOReport20078.14.2006.pdf

Posted by ronbo at 02:21 PM

September 05, 2006

NCES Newsflash: NEW NCES REPORT! - Computer and Internet Use by Students in 2003

This report examines the use of computers and the Internet by American children enrolled in nursery school and students in kindergarten through grade 12. The report examines the overall rate of use (that is, the percentage of individuals in the population who are users), the ways in which students use the technologies, where the use occurs (home, school, and other locations), and the relationships of these aspects of computer and Internet use to demographic and socioeconomic characteristics such as students' age and race/ethnicity and their parents' education and family income. This report confirms that patterns of computer and Internet use seen in previous research are observed in more recent data. One of the more important findings presented in the report is that schools appear to help narrow the disparities between different types of students in terms of computer use. Differences in the rates of computer use are smaller at school than they are at home when considering such characteristics as race/ethnicity, family income, and parental education.

To download, view and print the publication as a PDF file, please visit: http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2006065

Posted by ronbo at 02:13 PM

September 01, 2006

From ESRI Newsletter: New ESRI Training Web Site Offers More Resources

ESRI Educational Services is pleased to announce the creation of a single online environment encompassing everything training and education related from ESRI. The new ESRI Training and Education Web site was developed to better serve ESRI users who need information about training options and to provide one place to find answers to training-related questions.

Training Options and Resources
ESRI software users can now find the latest information on instructor-led and Web-based training, search for courses and learning centers, view class schedules and course recommendations, and explore the Internet's most comprehensive library of geographic information system (GIS) literature. The site also features resources especially designed for training managers who need to choose the best training option given their budget and timeline. Highlights of the new site include

Ability to register for classes and purchase on-line training
One search tool for all instructor-led and Web-based courses
Access to monthly live training seminars at no cost
An expansive GIS library with more than 40,000 bibliographical references
Course recommendations based on an individual's previous training, skill set, or job responsibilities
A My Training section to track training progress and view course completion history
Contact names and directions to ESRI learning centers and other training facilities
Access to and search capability in the ESRI Press catalog

The ESRI Virtual Campus continues to be the leader in GIS education on the Web, offering courses that teach ESRI software skills, GIS theory, and the application of GIS tools to find solutions in particular fields. Members of the ESRI Virtual Campus can access their courses at the My Training Section of the new site.

To see all that is new and begin using this resource, visit the ESRI Training and Education Web site.

Posted by ronbo at 03:16 PM