Background: For many sociology students (and sociologists), secondary research can seem like the most “boring” research method because it is conducted without interacting with anyone; however, using secondary data, we are able to glean a great deal from utilizing existing statistical information, and it is a method that is cost- and resource-effective.
STEP 1: Part A–Navigate to Census.govLinks to an external site.. Part B–Poke around a bit and determine a research question (keep it simple) that could be answered through the data available to you. Part C–Find a bivariate (2 variable) table to examine that piques your interest. Or PEW research center or Social Science Data Analysis Network (SSDAN)Links to an external site. and is comprised of data from the American Community Survey (ACS), an annual Census-like survey. Part D–Cut and paste or screen shot the data into your project.
STEP 2: Identify the independent variable and the dependent variable that could be tested based on this graph. Explain how you are determining which variable is which.
STEP 3: Summarize the bivariate table by making at least 3 TRUE statements about the variables using the data (the percentages) provided.
STEP 4: Use your sociological imagination to analyze the data. This should be a minimum of 2-3 sentences.
STEP 5: What course material can you connect that helps you make sense of the results you are seeing.
STEP 6: What policy recommendations would you make based on the data? This should be a minimum of 2-3 sentences.
