February 5, 2001—National Opinion Research Center Will Evaluate and Classify Uncertified Ballots in Florida
A group of the nation's largest news organizations has retained the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago to conduct an in-depth inventory of uncounted ballots from the presidential race in Florida.
See press release.
For more on the Ballots project.

February 2, 2001— "Doctorate Recipients from United States Universities:
Summary Report 1999" is now available in hardcopy and as a pdf document. Written by NORC researchers Allen Sanderson, Bernard Dugoni, Tom Hoffer, and Sharon Myers, the report summarizes findings from the 1998-1999 annual cycle of the Survey of Earned Doctorates.

For questions about the data or to order special analyses, please contact Lance Selfa at (312) 759-4031 or by email at selfa@norcmail.uchicago.edu.
See a description of the study.

January 11, 2001— Trends in National Spending Priorities, 1973-2000, a new report by General Social Survey Director Tom W. Smith, shows that public support for governmental spending is highest for education and health.
See the complete study.

October 18, 2000—Changes in the Generation Gap, 1972-1998
Although most differences in attitudes between younger and older people have narrowed over the past 30 years, the younger generation is becoming much more distrustful of society than were their counterparts in previous decades, new research by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago shows. The report also found that the younger generation, aged 18 to 24, is turning away from the Republican party and that their voting rate is decreasing.
See Press release or the complete study.

October 3, 2000—Questionnaire design: from art into science, by Norman M. Bradburn.
Paper delivered at the Fifth International Conference on Social Science Methodology.
See the complete paper.

July 20, 2000—1999 Gun Policy Survey: Research Findings
A majority of Americans--both those who own guns and those who do not--continue to favor all measures to regulate firearms. The 1999 National Gun Policy Survey,conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, shows American opinion has not changed over the last four years.
See Press release or the complete study.

July 13, 2000—2000 Survey of Best Hospitals
The 11th annual U.S. News & World Report hospital rankings are available online at www.usnews.com. The concept and design of the statistical model behind the rankings were developed for U.S. News by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago.

May 15, 2000—Craig G. Coelen appointed new President of NORC
The Board of Trustees of the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago is pleased to introduce its new president, Craig G. Coelen, Ph.D.

Dr. Coelen comes to NORC from the Urban Institute, Washington, D.C., where he served since 1991 as Senior Vice President. An economist with a Ph.D. from Syracuse University and teaching experience at Northeastern University, Dr. Coelen moved into research administration and project direction at Abt Associates, where he rose to Senior Vice President, 1985-1991, heading the Government Research Division. He brings to NORC twenty years of experience in the management and development of research organizations and a record of extensive research on the financing and delivery of health care services.

"It's a privilege to be associated with NORC, which embodies more than fifty years of leadership and innovation in the field of survey research. I look forward to working with the research professionals at NORC and the University of Chicago to develop an even more vital and progressive organization for the twenty-first century." --Craig Coelen, June 27, 2000.

Dr. Coelen succeeds Phil E. DePoy, who retired from NORC after 8 years as President.

"Tom Smith and William Lefes of NORC broadened the accessibility of the General Social Survey, a major source of data on social and political issues and their changes over time. They developed the General Social Survey Data and Information Retrieval System (GSSDIRS) in 1996 that put the codebook, bibliography, and data on-line, and created over 30,000 hypertext links...to facilitate access to the GSS. A user can now use the GSS on a case level or total basis and also assemble an interactive bibliography for a question asked in the GSS, drawing on articles and reports in which the question has been used by others."

March 15, 2000—Attitudes towards and Experiences with Guns: A State-Level Perspective, by Tom W. Smith and Luis Martos, is available through the Violence Policy Center.
See the complete study.

February 24, 2000—The American Faculty Poll, a nationwide survey of college and university professors sponsored by TIAA-CREF, has found that over 90% of respondents generally are content with their career choices.
See the complete study.

November 24, 1999—The Emerging 21st Century American Family, a report by Tom W. Smith, indicates that marriage will continue to decline as the central institution under which households are organized.
See Press release or the complete study.

August 16, 1999—Trends in Public Attitudes on Governmental Spending Priorities, a report by Tom W. Smith, reports that Americans of all political leanings increasingly see education as essential for both personal and national success.
See Press release or the complete study.

July 9, 1999—1999 Survey of Best Hospitals
The 10th annual U.S. News &World Report hospital rankings are available online at www.usnews.com. The concept and design of the statistical model behind the rankings were developed for U.S. News by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago.

May 6, 1999—1998 National Gun Policy Survey of the National Opinion Research Center: Research Findings
This NORC study reports there is strong public support—including substantial majorities among gun owners—for legislation to regulate firearms, make guns safer, and reduce the accessibility of firearms to criminals and children.
      See Press release or the complete study.

March 18, 1999—Gambling Impact and Behavior Study: Final Report
NORC submitted this report to the National Gambling Impact Study Commission on March 18, 1999. This document can now be viewed or downloaded at this site; hard copies are available at cost from the Commission office.
      In addition to this report, the scope of work, the NODS of the Gambling Impact Behavior Study and the Analysis of the Casino Survey can be viewed.

February 12, 1999—American Sexual Behavior: Trends, Socio-Demographic Differences, and Risk Behavior
This report, written by Tom W. Smith, is the December 1998 update in the series studying American sexual behavior.

February 11, 1999—A New Measure of Contemporary Life Stress: Development, Validation, and Reliability of the CRISYS, Health Services Research 33:5 (December 1998, Part I) pp. 1381-1402.
This study examines the results of studies in different settings of adult primary caregivers of children living in low-income urban areas. The research tested a hypothesis that accepted measures of stresses linked to life events do not capture a cross-section of contemporary life experiences, particularly those representing family issues, work issues, and exposure to violence and substance abuse. Authors Kenneth A. Rasinski of NORC and Madeleine U. Shalowitz, Carolyn A. Berry, and Christine A. Dannhausen-Brun of La Rabida Children's Hospital and Research Center, Chicago, developed and tested a flexible, multidimensional tool, the CRISYS, (name after the authors' intentions to develop a crisis index based on a family systems perspective) which is shown to be an effective screen for family needs.
      A preliminary test of the CRISYS also shows that, in a low income population, depression was significantly predicted from problems in the following areas: personal finance, personal relationship, safety in one's own home, personal medical problems, personal drug or alcohol use. Problems with children getting into trouble was related to lower depression levels, perhaps indicating that the caregiver was rallying around the child or distracted from personal concerns by the child's problems. The authors conclude that CRISYS will be useful when evaluating the success of a clinical model or a healthcare system, and the effectiveness of an insurance plan or a government program.
      To find out more about this study or to order a copy of it, go to HSR's Web site. The NORC Library also subscribes to this journal.

February 10, 1999—Sexual Dysfunction in the United States: Prevalence and Predictors
In a path-breaking study, University of Chicago and Robert Wood Johnson Medical researchers found that about 40 percent of women and 30 percent of men experience sexual dysfunction. The study, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found a strong association between sexual dysfunction and impaired quality of life. For more information on this study, go to the University of Chicago News Office.

January 25, 1999—Facts about American Catholics
This report on attitudes among American Catholics was gathered by Tom W. Smith, Director of NORC's General Social Survey. To read more about the report, go to the University of Chicago News Office.

January 12, 1999—Outstanding American High Schools
This U.S. News & World Report survey is on the newsstands and was conducted in part by Dr. Thomas Hoffer, a senior research scientist with the National Opinion Research Center. To view this survey, its methodology and FAQs about it, go to U.S. News & World Report's Web site.

December 31, 1998—Driving After Drug or Alcohol Use: Findings from the 1996 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse
President Clinton's radio address to the nation on December 26, 1998 focused on "one of America's greatest public safety challenges": drunk driving. The President said: "In a report I'm releasing today, the Department of Health and Human Services estimates that in 1996 more than a quarter of all drivers—46.5 million—use drugs, alcohol or both within two hours of driving....So today I'm announcing that the Justice and Transportation Departments will strengthen their efforts in the new year, through grants to states and other incentives, to enforce underage drinking laws, to carry out alcohol impaired driving prevention programs and to pass and enforce strong state highway safety legislation." See the complete study.

September 24, 1998—1998 Survey of Top HMOs
U.S. News & World Report's Top HMOs 1998 Survey will be on the newsstands Monday, Sept. 28. For more information on the NORC's role in this project, click here. Or go to the U.S. News & World Report's Web site to see the results of the study.

September 16, 1998—1997-98 National Gun Policy Survey of the National Opinion Research Center: Research Findings
See Press release and the complete study with informational graphics

July 17, 1998—1998 Survey of Best Hospitals
U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals 1998 Survey is on the newsstand. For more information on the NORC's role in this project, click here. Or go to the U.S. News & World Report's Web site to see the results of the study.

July 8, 1998—Drugs and the Workplace
Drug and alcohol use exact a heavy toll on American society. Although there are a number of ways in which this occurs, a large amount of attention has been directed at drug use by the American work force. Many people believe that drug and alcohol use by U.S. workers cause accidents and injury, increase job turnover, make insurance costs higher, and lead to a loss of public trust in the American work force. U.S. companies have attempted to prevent employee drug use through a number of approaches, most notably by implementing workplace drug testing programs. The growth of drug testing programs has been accompanied by a decrease in the prevalence of drug use among U.S. workers. Nevertheless, the precise associations between worker drug use and workplace phenomena such as accidents and employee turnover remain shadowy. This study was conducted for the NORC by John Hoffmann and Cindy Larison. View the complete study

June 29, 1998—National Pride: A Cross-national Analysis
The National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago finds Americans are prouder of their country than are any other people in the world. The survey found that nearly 90 percent of Americans would rather be citizens of the United States than of any other country. That rating is the highest of the 23 nations studied, and the survey is the largest and most comprehensive international study ever conducted on national pride. See Press release and the complete study

June 5, 1998—Making the Transition: Work Experiences After High School
A research project at the University of Chicago investigated principally by Barbara Schneider, a Professor of Sociology at the University of Chicago and Senior Social Scientist at the National Opinion Research Center.

May 15, 1998—Polls: Deliberative and Non-deliberative
Norman M. Bradburn of the NORC and the University of Chicago reflects on the differences between deliberative polls and the more standard model of an attitude survey as it is practiced in contemporary public polling.
     This paper was presented at the meetings of the American Association for Public Opinion Research on Friday May 15, 1998, in St. Louis, MO.

April 23, 1998—Mount Sinai Researchers Find Few Physicians Willing to Assist in Suicides of Desperately Ill Patients—First National Study of U.S. Doctors' Attitudes and Practices About Physician-assisted Suicide and Euthanasia.
      Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, along with colleagues from the National Opinion Research Center and the University of Rochester (NY), have found that although a substantial number of doctors in specialties with high exposure to care of the dying have received requests for assistance in hastening a desperately ill patient's death, few of them report ever having done so.
   In an article in the April 23rd issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, the researchers report that one out of five doctors with experience in taking care of patients with serious life-threatening illness have been asked by one or more of their patients for assistance in speeding their deaths, but fewer than seven percent said they'd ever complied with such a request.
   The researchers drew their sample from ten medical specialties to include physicians most likely to care for patients with life-threatening illnesses. Surveys were mailed to 3,102 physicians in August of 1996. Sixty-one percent responded.

Note: Older studies and information can be found in the Library & Publications section