PLS 209 Research Methods
Homework #9
Bivariate Analysis Using Crosstabs
Due April 21, 2008

This assignment requires you to download an existing file in SPSS format to a Windows PC that is running SPSS.  You will run a crosstabs  procedure and then answer some questions about the results.

Computer Procedures:

1. Begin this assignment at a computer where SPSS is installed (e.g., library)

2. Go to the PLS homepage and then click on the link to the SPSS download page.

3. Read the instructions at the top of the page and then move to the Data Files and Codebooks table.

4. Double click on the file name for the 2004 National Election Study (i.e., PD81V04)

    If prompted to open or save the file, select open the file

5. A POWER ARCHIVE window should open up with the file PD81V04.sav  listed.  Double click on pd81v04.sav

    This will load the SPSS program and open the pd81v04.

6. First set the default display to variable names arrange alphabetically

Click on Edit, 
then click on options, 
click on the general tab if it is not already displayed
In the upper left hand corner under variable lists, make sure Display Names and Alphabetical are both checked
Click Apply and OK

7. In the data editor window selection in sequence:: Analyze Menu, Descriptive Statistics, Crosstabs 

8. In the Crosstabs window
    Make V043036  "A13. Approval of Congress handling its job"  the row variable
         (Highlight the variable name in the left window and then click the appropriate arrow)
    Make 3 variables the column variable
            V043254 "Y3x. Summary: Respondent education level"
            V043086 "E1x. SUMMARY: R self-placement liberal-conservative"
            V041109a "HHListing.9a. Respondent gender"    
    Click on Cells and then check Column Percentages, 
    Click on Statistics and then check Phi and Cramer's V
    Click Continue to return to the crosstabs window
    Click OK to process the table

9. In the output window
    From the file menu make sure the page setup is set to landscape

    First on the education table and then on the lib-cons table 
        Right click on the table
        Highlight "SPSS Pivot Table Object" and the click on edit
        Right Click again on the table and select table properties
        Select the Printing Tab and then check "Rescale wide table to fit page"
        Click apply and then click OK

10. Print the pages 

Questions:

Using the printed tables answer the following:  

1.  Using the Approximate Significance for the Cramer's V, which of the three independent variables is/are 
     related to the dependent variable _______________

2.  Using the Cramer's V, which independent variable has the strongest relationship with the dependent variable?
     _____________ 

3.   Do the majority of respondents approve or disapprove of the way Congress is handling its job? _____________

4. ______ percent of respondents with 8 grades or less approves the job performance of Congress
     whereas  _____   percent with High-school, but no more formal education approves

5. Comparing only those with with High School(3) only with those with Advanced Degrees (7), does higher level of
     education mean reduced approval of the job performance of Congress?  _____

6. Are conservatives or liberals most likely to approve of the job performance of Congress? _____

7. What is the percentage difference between men and women on Approving of job performance of Congress? _______

8. Using the .05 sig benchmark, is this sample difference between men and women probably due to sampling error?  ________