Social trends in American life: findings from the General Social Survey since 1972

Abstract

Social Trends in American Life assembles a team of leading researchers to provide unparalleled insight into how American social attitudes and behaviors have changed since the 1970s. Drawing on the General Social Survey--a social science project that has tracked demographic and attitudinal trends in the United States since 1972--it offers a window into diverse facets of American life, from intergroup relations to political views and orientations, social affiliations, and perceived well-being. Among the book's many important findings are the greater willingness of ordinary Americans to accord rights of free expressions to unpopular groups, to endorse formal racial equality, and to accept nontraditional roles for women in the workplaces, politics, and the family.