Social Studies 201 – Fall 2004

Problem Set 3

Due October 27, 2004

CHANGE OF DATE FOR SECOND MIDTERM TO NOVEMBER 10

1. Ecological footprints. For each of the three variables commuting distance, density, and energy use in Table 1, compute the mean, standard deviation, and CRV. Explain which variable has the greatest variation across the nine cities, and which variable has the least.

Table 1. Municipal ecological footprints

Location	Median commuting distance (km)	Density (people per square kilometer)	Energy use (global hectares)
Vancouver	7.6	690	4.21
Calgary	7.7	187	6.03
Edmonton	7.6	100	5.85
Regina	4.5	57	4.18
Saskatoon	4.8	44	4.11
Winnipeg	6.0	162	3.73
Windsor	8.6	301	4.09
London	5.4	195	3.95
Toronto	9.2	793	4.05

Source: Federation of Canadian Municipalities, Ecological Footprints of Canadian Municipalities and Regions, September 2004, Table 2. From http://www.fcm.ca/english/communications/eco.pdf

2. Variability of hours worked. Table 2 contains distributions of annual hours Saskatchewan respondents reported working at their jobs. From the data in Table 2, obtain the mean, standard deviation, and CRV for respondents aged 15-24 and for respondents aged 35-44. In words, briefly compare the variation in annual hours worked for respondents in the two age groups.

Table 2. Annual hours Saskatchewan respondents work at their jobs, by ages

Annual hours worked	X (hours in thousands of hours)	Number of respondents by age
		All ages	Ages 15-24	Ages 35-44
250-750	0.5	264	129	39
750-1,250	1.0	259	91	44
1,250-1,750	1.5	340	93	74
1,750-2,250	2.0	1,134	132	380
2,250-2,750	2.5	232	34	63
2,750 plus	3.0	257	23	84
Total		2,486	502	684

Source: Statistics Canada. Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID), 1999: Person file [machine readable data file]. Release 1 Edition. Ottawa, ON: Statistics Canada. 4/16/2003.

3. Interpretations of probability. Explain which of the three interpretations of probability (classical or theoretical, frequency, and subjective) appears to be used in each of the following quotes.

A. From the Youth in Transition study,“These findings suggest that the higher the level of the parents’ education, the more likely their children were to complete high school.”

Source: At a Crossroads, p. 31. From http://www.statcan.ca:8096/bsolc/english/bsolc?catno=81-591-X

B. Commenting on the new leader of the Saskatchewan Party, Graeme Smith, a columnist for The Globe and Mail reports “Mr. Wall did offer some specifics. He’ll probably announce that he won’t sell any Crown corporations, he said.”

Source: The Globe and Mail, March 15, 2004, p. A7.

C. On average, 16% of employees felt that poor interpersonal relations were a source of stress at work. This compares with about 10% of primary industry workers and 21% of workers in health occupations who feel this way. The likelihood of feeling stressed at work as a result of poor interpersonal relationships did not vary significantly from the average in most occupations.

Source: Cara Williams, “Stress at work,” Canadian Social Trends, No. 70, Autumn 2003, p. 10.

D. The Lottery Canada web site states that the approximate odds of winning for 6/6 numbers matched is 1 in 13,983,816.

Source: http://www.lotterycanada.com/lottery/?job=show_results&lottery=na_lotto_649.

Questions 4 and 5 use the SSAE98.SAV file on the computer. Hand in the computer printout along with the written answers to questions 4 and 5.

4. Variation and patterns. Use Analyze-Descriptive Statistics-Descriptives to obtain the mean and standard deviation for the following four variables. Also use Analyze-Descriptive Statistics-Frequencies to obtain frequency distributions and histograms for the same variables.

· Economic future (FUTURE)

· Knowledge about computing (KNOW)

· University preparing (PREP)

· Lack of access (ACCESS)

From the data on the printout, calculate the range and coefficient of relative variation for each variable. From the above, write a note comparing the variability of the four variables, explaining why and how variability differs among the four variables.

5. Views about multiculturalism by political preference. Using Analyze-Compare Means-Means, obtain the means and standard deviations of four of the multiculturalism variables, from question 30 of the survey questionnaire, Equal access (M2), Eliminate barriers (M4), Fund festivals (M5), and Canadian society enriched (M6), classified by Provincial political preference (PV). Write a note comparing the statistics for the four variables for those with different political preferences. In your note, concentrate primarily on the differences of means of the multiculturalism variables across the categories of provincial political preference.