Method and meaning in polls and surveys /

This book represents the culmination of sociologist Schuman's more than four decades' devotion to social surveys. Reading the book is akin to sitting in Schuman's research methodology class and listening to his wisdom and skepticism about surveys. As its title suggests, this unique volume is not an introductory textbook on how to conduct social surveys, but rather a deep reflection on the nature and meaning of surveys. In other words, Schuman (emer., Univ. of Michigan) is concerned with how researchers construct surveys, how respondents understand survey questions, how researchers make sense of survey responses, how missteps are made, and how surveys can be used to better understand the world. Insights leap from virtually every page. As a bonus, the book is an enjoyable read. Schuman writes with passion and humor, and the examples--Americans' perceptions of the communist threat in the 1950s, the Vietnam War in the 1960s-70s, the role of "moral values" in the 2004 presidential election, gun permits--are often engaging and stimulating. One of the best books on social surveys available, it should quickly become required reading for students of research methods. Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates and above. J. Li Columbia University