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Unit I. The Sociological Perspective
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Exploring Data
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Using Census Data to Analyze your Neighborhood
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Theme 1. The Sociological Perspective
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DescriptionThis exercise involves accessing the latest U.S. Census data to learn more about an individual's home community.
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Learning Goals
- To understand the data-based nature of sociological investigations.
- To become familiar with a major source of data about people in the United States.
- To learn one way of using the world wide web to access data.
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Actions
- Follow the instructions below for the following site. (Click to open link in a new window)
U.S. Census Bureau Website (Click here to show or hide)Instructions (Click here to show or hide)- Click on Data Sets (ignore the side options that appear), the seventh item down in the left hand column.
- Scroll down, and select Census 2000 Summary File 4 (SF 4) - Sample Data
- A side list should appear that says “select from the following” click on List All Tables
- Select DP-3 Profile of Selected Economic Characteristics: 2000, then scroll sideways to the right part of the page, and click on the Next button.
- Under “choose a selection method” there are five tabs. Click on the address search tab.
- Enter your home address* and then click go. (If for any reason the address you enter doesn’t work, try searching by county instead of address. This might happen if you live in a small town or rural area.)
- Under Geographies containing (Insert your address here) there should be multiple geographic breakdowns. Select the census tract option. A census tract is a relatively small geographic breakdown the census uses. It is defined as an area containing approximately 4,000 people.
- After selecting census tract, scroll down, and click add.
- After it appears in the box below, click show result.
- The DP-3 for your census tract should appear. Print these pages.
- Now repeat steps 1-10 again with one exception. Instead of entering your home address, enter 455 N. Rexford Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. This is the address for city hall in Beverly Hills.
Now that you have collected your data you are going to examine the following three variables: occupation and industry, median family income, and percent of families below the poverty level for your census tract. Write a description (about a paragraph) for each variable. Each description should include what your findings are, why you think they are this way for your area, and whether or not you were surprised by your findings. You may want to map your census tract to identify the precise location of the data, as this might change your explanation. You can do this by going back to the screen in step 8 where you were asked to select your census track, again selecting the census track option, and then clicking on MAP IT. A map of your census track should appear in a separate window.
Write three more descriptions comparing your census tract and the Beverly Hills census tract. Is your area similar to or different from Beverly Hills? Why do you think this is? Was there anything that surprised you in the Beverly Hills data?
* If you are an international student you can use your current address in the states. - Follow the instructions below for the following site. (Click to open link in a new window)
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Creator/Source
Jennifer Gerdes, New York University, November 2007, inspired by Beck, Frank D., and Julie A. Pelton. 2001. “Mapping Census Data for Your Town.” Pp. 173-180 in Sociology Through Active Learning: Student Exercises, First Edition, edited by Beck, Frank D., Barbara S. Heyl, and Kathleen McKinney. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.