Category: Publications

Differential sensitivity to adversity by income: Evidence from a study of Bereavement by Tamkinat Rauf (September 2023)

Social Science Research Abstract: Adverse life events are often understood as having negative consequences for mental health via objective hardships, which are worse for persons with less income. But adversity can also affect mental health via more subjective mechanisms, and here, it is possible that persons with higher income will exhibit greater psychological sensitivity to negative events, …

Racial Capitalism and Social Psychology: A Note for Future Research by John N. Robinson, III, Elizabeth Korver-Glenn, & Max Besbris (September 2023)

Social Psychology Quarterly  Abstract: In this research note, we describe how theories of racial capitalism offer important insights into social psychological processes of racial discrimination, stereotyping, and more. First, the racial capitalism framework sheds light on the material conditions that shape social psychological aspects of racial domination and oppression, including processes of identity formation. Second, …

Is US Fertility now Below Replacement? Evidence from Period vs. Cohort Trends by Lawrence Wu & Nicholas Mark (August 2023)

Population Research & Policy Review Abstract: In this study, we contrast period and cohort approaches to answering the question: Is US fertility now below replacement? The answer would appear to be an unambiguous “yes” based on period trends in the total fertility rate (TFR). Since 2007, TFR has declined from 2.12, just above the replacement …

Housing Market Intermediaries (chapter) by Elizabeth Korver-Glenn, Robin Bartram, & Max Besbris (October 2023)

The Sociology of Housing: How Homes Shape Our Social Lives Summary: In 1947, the president of the American Sociological Association, Louis Wirth, argued for the importance of housing as a field of sociological research. It may come as a surprise, then, to learn that the field has yet to be established. Instead, efforts to understand the …

Happiness Scholarship and Redistributive Preferences by Tamkinat Rauf & Jeremy Freese (August 2023)

Social Psychology Quarterly Abstract: Despite a steep rise in income inequality over the past five decades, Americans’ preferences for redistribution have remained stagnant. Previous research suggests that redistributive preferences are rooted in stable institutional and cultural contexts but can change with exposure to information. We investigate the role of understandings of the link between income …

The New Class and Right-Wing Populism: The Case of Wisconsin by Chad Alan Goldberg & Masoud Movahed (July 2023)

The Sociological Quarterly Abstract: While previous scholarship highlights the importance of cross-class alliances between intellectuals and workers in past social-democratic and labor movements, the growth of right-wing populism may signal the breakdown of this political alignment today. We investigate the extent to which intellectuals and workers remain politically aligned through a case study of political …

Factors Associated with Interviewers’ Evaluations of Respondents’ Performance in Telephone Interviews: Behavior, Response Quality Indicators, and Characteristics of Respondents and Interviewers by Dana Garbarski, Jennifer Dykema, Nora Cate Schaeffer, Cameron P Jones, Tiffany S. Neman, & Dorothy Farrar Edwards

Public Opinion Quarterly Abstract: Interviewers’ postinterview evaluations of respondents’ performance (IEPs) are paradata, used to describe the quality of the data obtained from respondents. IEPs are driven by a combination of factors, including respondents’ and interviewers’ sociodemographic characteristics and what actually transpires during the interview. However, relatively few studies examine how IEPs are associated with …

Guaranteed Incentives and Prize Drawings: Effects on Participation, Data Quality, and Costs in a Web Survey of College Students on Sensitive Topics by Jennifer Dykema, John Stevenson, Cameron P. Jones, and Brendan Day (July 2023)

Social Science Computer Review Abstract: Many studies rely on traditional web survey methods in which all contacts with sample members are through email and the questionnaire is administered exclusively online. Because it is difficult to effectively administer prepaid incentives via email, researchers frequently employ lotteries or prize draws as incentives even though their influence on …

Mental Health Effects of Income over the Adult Life Course by Tamkinat Rauf (July 2023)

Socius Abstract: While a gradient between income and depression is well documented, associational estimates are subject to bias due to measurement errors, reverse causation, and other sources of confounding. Causal studies are few and report small and divergent estimates, even in their direction. But prior research has important limitations for causal inference, such as relying …

Revisiting the stepping-stone hypothesis: Transitions from temporary to permanent contracts in Peru by Miguel Jaramillo Baanante and Daniela Campos Ugaz (July 2023)

International Labour Review Abstract: This study seeks to gauge the extent to which temporary contracts function as stepping stones to permanent contracts and to distinguish intrafirm from interfirm contract conversions. Using 2012–2016 data from a Peruvian matched employer–employee database, the authors propose several measures of contract conversion and estimate duration models. Their findings show that …