The General Social Survey polls individuals about their attitudes and beliefs. This dataset is used to demonstrate application of R to political analysis. See book Appendix for variable names and descriptions.
gssA data frame with 1974 rows and 221 variables.
Abortion Permissible: Woman Wants For Any Reason
Abortion Permissible: Strong Chance of Serious Defect
Abortion Permissible: Woman's Health Seriously Endangered
Abortion Permissible: Woman Married--Wants No More Children
Under How Many Conditions Abortion Permissible?
Under How Many Conditions Abortion Permissible? 3 Categories
Abortion Permissible: Low Income--Can't Afford More Children
Abortion Permissible: Pregnant As Result of Rape
Abortion Permissible: Not Married
Favor Preference in Hiring Blacks
Support Affirmative Action?
Respondent's Age
Respondent's Age (as ordered factor)
Respondent's Age: 2 Categories
Age Group: 3 Categories
Age Group: 5 Categories
How Often Respondent Attends Religious Services
Attendance at Religious Services: Low or High
Attendance at Religious Services: 3 Categories
Attendance at Religious Services: 7 Categories
Authoritarianism Scale
Feelings About the Bible
Is Respondent African American?
Black Stereotypes
Was Respondent Born in This Country
Favor or Oppose Death Penalty For Murder
Number of Children
How Close Do You Feel to Blacks?
How Close to Blacks? 2 Categories
How Close Feel to Whites
How Close Do You Feel to Whites? 2 Categories
Year of Birth
College Teaching: Allow Anti-Religionist to Teach
College Teaching: Should Communist Teacher Be Fired
College Teaching: Allow Homosexual to Teach
College Teaching: Allow Militarist to Teach
College Teaching: Allow Anti-American Muslim Clergymen to Teach
College Teaching: Allow Racist to Teach
Confidence in Government Institutions
Confidence in Military
Confidence in Major Companies
Confidence in Organized Religion
Confidence in Education
Confidence in Exec Branch of Fed Government
Confidence in Banks & Financial Institutions
Confidence in United States Supreme Court
Confidence in Organized Labor
Confidence in Congress
Confidence in Medicine
Confidence in Press
Confidence in Scientific Community
Confidence in Television
Courts Dealing With Criminals
Date of Interview
Respondent's Highest Degree
Is Respondent a Democrat?
Divorce Laws
Should divorce laws make it more difficult?
Highest Year of School
Education: 2 Categories
Education: 4 Categories
Egalitarianism Scale
Egalitarianism: 3 Categories
Egalitarianism: 4 Categories
Should Government Reduce Income Differences?
Country of Family Origin
Evangelical Scale
Female Roles: Mother Working Doesn't Hurt Children
Amount of Fees Paid (to Respondent for Interview)
Fee Given to Get Case (for the Interview)
Female Roles: Better For Man to Work, Woman Tend Home
Female Role (Scale of Values)
Female Role: 2 Categories
Female Roles: Preschool Kids Suffer If Mother Works
Is Respondent Planning/Applying For US Citizenship?
How Fundamentalist Is Respondent Currently?
Is Respondent Fundamentalist?
Opinion of How People Get Ahead
Know God Exists?
Should Marijuana Be Made Legal?
Should Marijuana Be Made Legal? (numeric)
Favor or Oppose Gun Permits?
General Happiness
Should Government Aid Blacks?
Should Government Do More or Less?
To Help Others
Should Government Improve Standard of Living?
Should Government Help Pay For Medical Care?
Household Type (Condensed)
Hispanic Specified
Is Respondent Hispanic?
Homosexual Sex Relations
Homosexuality Always Wrong?
Respondent Id Number
Total Family Income
Interest in Current Issues? (Additive index)
Interviewer: Age of Interviewer
Interested in Economic Issues?
Interested in Local School Issues?
Interested in Environmental Issues?
Interviewer: Race of Interviewer
Interviewer: Interviewer's Race
Interested in Farm Issues?
Interviewer: Is Interviewer Spanish, Hispanic or Latino
Interested in International Issues?
Interested in Medical Discoveries?
Interested in Military Policy?
Interviewer: Interviewer's Race1
Interviewer: Interviewer's Race2
Interviewer: Interviewer's Race3
Interested in New Scientific Discoveries?
Interviewer: Sex of Interviewer
Interested in Space Exploration?
Interested in Technologies?
Interviewer: Years of Service as an Interviewer at NORC
Does Respondent Have Kids?
Allow Anti-Religious Book in Library?
Allow Communists Book in Library?
Allow Homosexuals Book in Library?
Allow Militarists Book in Library?
Allow Anti-American Muslim Clergymen's Books in Library?
Allow Racists Book in Library?
How Long Was Interview
Marital Status
Tolerance Toward Militarists
Geographic Mobility Since Age 16
Interview Done In-Person or Over the Phone
Muslims: Teach in College?
Muslims: Book in Library?
Muslims: Preach?
Muslims: Preach? (as numeric)
Muslims: Preach? (as numeric)
Federal spending: Foreign Aid
Federal spending: Military, Armaments, and Defense
Federal spending: Assistance for Childcare
Federal spending: Solving Problems of Big Cities
Federal spending: Halting Rising Crime Rate
Federal spending: Dealing with Drug Addiction
Federal spending: Improving Nations Education System
Federal spending: Developing Alternative Energy Sources
Federal spending: Improving & Protecting Environment
Federal spending: Welfare
Federal spending: Improving & Protecting Nations Health
Federal spending: Mass Transportation
Federal spending: Parks and Recreation
Federal spending: Improving the Conditions of Blacks
Federal spending: Highways and Bridges
Federal spending: Supporting Scientific Research
Federal spending: Social Security
Federal spending: Space Exploration Program
How Often Does Respondent Read Newspaper
To Obey
Obedience Important in Children?
Have Gun in Home
Political Party Affiliation
Party Id: 3 Categories
Ideological Self-Placement
Important for Child: To Be Well Liked or Popular
Feelings About Pornography Laws
Pornography opinion
Belief in Life After Death
How Often Does Respondent Pray
Sex Before Marriage
Vote Obama or Mccain
Differences Due to Discrimination
Differences Due to Inborn Disability
Differences Due to Lack of Education
Differences Due to Lack of Will
Race of Respondent
Race: Black / White
Racial Liberalism
Born Again?
Region of Interview
Respondent's Religious Preference
Respondent's Religious Preference, limited to Catholic and Protestant
Strength of Affiliation
Strong Religious Affiliation
Respondent Income
Respondent Income: 5 Categories
Tried to Convince Others of Jesus?
Number Correct on Science Quiz
Number Correct on Science Quiz, stored as factor
Respondent's Sex
Number of Brothers and Sisters
Size of Place in 1000s
Social Connectedness
Social Conservatism
Social Trust (Numeric Scale)
Respondent from South?
Favor Spanking to Discipline Child?
Approve of spanking
Econ Liberalism
Allow Speaker in Your Community: Anti-Religionist
Allow Speaker in Your Community: Communist
Allow Speaker in Your Community: Homosexual
Allow Speaker in Your Community: Militarist
Allow Speaker in Your Community: Muslim Clergymen Preaching Hatred
Allow Speaker in Your Community: Allow Racist to Speak
Sex Before Marriage -- Teens 14-16
Important for Child: To Think For One's Self
Tolerance Scale
Tolerance Scale (Binned)
Hours Per Day Watching TV
Hours per day
Does Respondent or Spouse Belong to Union
Is Respondent US Citizen
Years in Armed Forces
Did Respondent Vote in 2008 Election
Did Respondent Vote in 2008?
White Stereotypes
Number Words Correct in Vocabulary Test
To Work Hard
Respondent Work for Government or Private Employee
Respondent Self-Emp or Works For Somebody
Labor Force Status
Irish, Italian, Jewish and other Should Overcome Prejudice Without Favors
Weight Variable
Weight Variable (same as wtss)
Sex With Person Other Than Spouse
GSS Year For This Respondent
Respondent's Astrological Sign