Intends to provide 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 , this title offers fresh perspective on how Americans view their lives and their society.

Preface and Acknowledgments ix Contributors xiii 1 Introduction and Overview 1 Peter V. Marsden Trends in Social and Political Orientations 2 On the Seemingly Relentless Progress in Americans' Support for Free Expression, 1972-2006 19 James A. Davis 3 The Real Record on Racial Attitudes 38 Lawrence D. Bobo, Camille Z. Charles, Maria Krysan, and Alicia D. Simmons 4 Gender Role Attitudes since 1972: Are Southerners Distinctive? 84 Karen E. Campbell and Peter V. Marsden 5 Public Opinion in the "Age of Reagan": Political Trends 1972-2006 117 Jeff Manza, Jennifer A. Heerwig, and Brian J. McCabe 6 Crime, Punishment, and Social Disorder: Crime Rates and Trends in Public Opinion over More Than Three Decades 146 James D. Wright, Jana L. Jasinski, and Drew Noble Lanier Changes in Confidence and Connections 7 Trends in Confidence in Institutions, 1973-2006 177 Tom W. Smith 8 Continuity and Change in American Religion, 1972-2008 212 Mark Chaves and Shawna Anderson 9 Trends in Informal Social Participation, 1974-2008 240 Peter V. Marsden and Sameer B. Srivastava Stability and Flux in Social Indicators 10 Income, Age, and Happiness in America 267 Glenn Firebaugh and Laura Tach 11 Religion and Happiness 288 Michael Hout and Andrew Greeley 12 Labor Force Insecurity and U.S. Work Attitudes, 1970s-2006 315 Arne L. Kalleberg and Peter V. Marsden 13 Population Trends in Verbal Intelligence in the United States 338 Duane F. Alwin and Julianna Pacheco Appendix: The General Social Survey Project 369 Peter V. Marsden and Tom W. Smith Index 379

Winner of the 2015 AAPOR Book Award, American Association for Public Opinion Research "The General Social Survey (GSS), a private organization, has been posing questions since 1972, and some of its more interesting findings are in Social Trends in American Life."--Andrew Hacker, New York Review of Books "An important book that should be on every social scientist's desk."--Choice

"Social Trends in American Life provides a comprehensive examination of the dynamics and roots of some of the most contested issues in U.S. society. The decline of community, the increasing tolerance of difference, and the wavering trust in societal institutions are addressed. Focusing on connections and conditions, this volume offers a nuanced look at what we have thought, felt, and done over the last forty years."—Bernice A. Pescosolido, Indiana University"Every social scientist, even those not usually interested in attitudes or survey measures of behavior, should read this book as a springboard to thinking about the shifting sands of our social fabric, and the value of assessing it through a consistent mechanism."—Lynn Smith-Lovin, Duke University"Social Trends in American Life represents a significant statement by many excellent scholars about many areas of change in American society over the past forty years. The treatment of attitude change is comprehensive and shows off the strengths of the unique national resource that is the General Social Survey."—Jeremy Freese, Northwestern University"This book is a superb compendium of original empirical findings on important trends in American social and economic life, all interpreted by leading scholars. Social Trends in American Life is the gold standard against which all other attempts to document social facts and social trends will be judged."—Stephen L. Morgan, Cornell University