In this module, you will be getting some idea of the
percent of children in poverty and some of the factors related to child
poverty. (You may have already done this in the "Aspects of
social statification" module. If so, you may copy your results into a new document file.
This does not mean you can copy someone else's results into your file.
To begin, go to theAnnie E. Casey Kids Count web site. Click on "2002 Kids Count
Data Book Online" and look at how the percent of children in poverty varies across the states.
Looking at the map, how does Virginia compare to other states in terms of the percent of children
in poverty?
[MAP: poverty]
Which state has the lowest percent of children in poverty, and what is the percent in that state? Which state has the
highest percent of children in poverty, and what is the percent in that state? What is the percent of children in poverty in Virginia? What is
the percent of children in poverty in the United States?
[RANKING: poverty]
| |
State |
Level |
| Lowest Poverty Level |
___________________ |
______% |
| Highest Poverty Level |
___________________ |
_____% |
Next, look at the trend in the percent of children in poverty over the decade of the 1990s. For this part, we will not
look at the trend for each of the 50 states. Instead, select Virginia, the two states you already identified as having the highest and lowest
percent, and the United States as a whole. To get this data, do the following: (1) Click on the boxes for the
United States, Virginia, and the two states you identified as having the highest and lowest percent of children in poverty; (2) Select
"Percent of children in poverty" as the Indicator; (3) Finish the required steps.
[GRAPH]
Did these three states and the United States overall follow the same trend over the 1990s? How would you summarize the
trends?
Next, letıs get some idea of why states vary in the level of child poverty. What are some of the factors that might be
related to child poverty? Many different factors might be related; the following is a short list of factors that might be related to variations
in the level of child poverty: the overall economic situation in the state; the educational level of people living in the state; the prevalence
of single-parent families in the state; and the racial and ethnic composition of the state.
To examine these factors, we will look at several scatter plots. A scatter plot is a simple graph that shows the relationship
between two variables by showing a point for each case on a two-dimensional graph (in this situation, each case is a state or the District of
Columbia). Looking at a scatter plot, we can get an idea about whether the two variables are related and, if so, how strong the relationship
is.
To examine the scatter plot, we have to use the file "tool_us.xls" from the SSDAN KidsCount web site.
Open the file "tool_us.xls" (click on "Enable Macros" SSDAN is a reliable source) and click on "Chart". Then, make Median
Income of Families with Children ("MedianIncomeFamW/Child") the X variable and make "Poverty" the Y variable. (Do this by clicking on the X
variable box and Y variable box, respectively, and scrolling down to select the specified variable.) For both variables, select the most recent
data available, which is1999. (Recall that half the families have an income above the median income and half have an income below the
median.)
After you select the two variables and the years, "tool_us.xls" will automatically display a scatter plot showing the
relationship between the two variables.
I would expect that those states that have a higher median family income will have fewer children living in poverty. Is this the
case? (Please respond in a full sentence, not just "yes" or "no".)
One measure of the strength of the relationship between two variables is called a "correlation coefficient". The correlation
coefficient can vary from 1.0 to 1.0. 1.0 means the two variables are perfectly related to each other in a positive direction; in other words,
if one variable increases, the other one increases by a corresponding amount. 1.0 also means the two variables are perfectly related to each
other, but in a negative direction; if one variable increases, the other one decreases by a corresponding amount. 0.0 means that the two
variables are not related; a change is one variable is not predictably related to a change in the other variable. In practice, correlations are
usually not close to 1.0 or 1.0. A correlation of .2 is usually considered a weak relationship; a correlation of .6 is strong; a correlation
of .8 is extremely strong.
"tool_us.xls" automatically reports the correlation between the two variables in the scatter plot. What is the correlation
between median family income and child poverty?
Are there any "outliers"? "Outliers" are points that are not close to the other points. If there are outliers, what areas are
outliers? (You can find out by putting the cursor on top of a point. After a second, the name of the geographic area will appear, as well as
the X and Y value for that area.) What are the values of the two variables for the outliers?
Next, letıs look at single parent households. Go back to the Annie E. Casey Kids Count web site and click on "2002 Kids
Count Data Book Online". Look at how "Percent of families with children headed by a single parent"
varies across the states.
Looking at the map, how does Virginia compare to other states in terms of the percent of families single parent?
[MAP: single parent households]
Next, letıs see how child poverty is related to the percent of single parents. Would you expect the child poverty rate to be
related to the percent of families that are single parent families? If so how? Please write a full sentence clarifying your expectations.
To examine the relationship, we use the "tool_us.xls". Make "Poverty" the Y variable and make "Percent of families with
Children headed by a single parent" ("SingleParent") the X variable. Is the pattern shown in the scatter plot generally consistent with or
inconsistent with your expectation, as you expressed it above? (Please write a full sentence.)
What is the correlation between child poverty and the percent of families that are single parent families?
Are there any "outliers"? If there are outliers, what areas are outliers? What are the values of the two variables for the
outliers?
Next, letıs look at the percent of the under 18 population that is Black. Would you expect the child poverty rate to be
related to the percent of under18 population that is Black? If so, how? Please write a full sentence clarifying your expectations.
To examine the relationship, we use the "tool_us.xls" file again. Make "Poverty" the Y variable and make "Percent of the under
18 population that is Black" ("BlackAlone") the X variable. (You need to set the year to "2000" for BlackAlone.) Is the pattern shown in the
scatter plot generally consistent with or inconsistent with your expectation, as you expressed it above? (Please write a full sentence.)
What is the correlation between child poverty and the percent of the under 18 population that is Black?
Are there any "outliers"? If there are outliers, what areas are outliers? What are the values of the two variables for the
outliers?
Median family income, single parents, and Black are independent variables that may affect poverty, the
dependent variable. Do you expect that these three independent variables are related to each other? Given these three independent
variables, there are three pairs of independent variables. Write your expectations about the relationship between each of these three pairs of
independent variables. Specifically, for each pair, do you expect they are positively related, negatively related, or unrelated? (You are not
required to create the scatter plot or the correlation coefficient.)
