Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents vii
3. Preface and Acknowledgments ix
4. Contributors xiii
5. Introduction and Overview 1
6. Trends in Social and Political Orientations
7. 2. On the Seemingly Relentless Progress in Americans’ Support for Free Expression, 1972–2006 19
8. 3. The Real Record on Racial Attitudes 38
9. 4. Gender Role Attitudes since 1972: Are Southerners Distinctive? 84
10. 5. Public Opinion in the “Age of Reagan”: Political Trends 1972–2006 117
11. 6. Crime, Punishment, and Social Disorder: Crime Rates and Trends in Public Opinion over More Than Three Decades 146
12. Changes in Confidence and Connections
13. 7. Trends in Confidence in Institutions, 1973–2006 177
14. 8. Continuity and Change in American Religion, 1972–2008 212
15. 9. Trends in Informal Social Participation, 1974–2008 240
16. Stability and Flux in Social Indicators
17. 10. Income, Age, and Happiness in America 267
18. 11. Religion and Happiness 288
19. 12. Labor Force Insecurity and U.S. Work Attitudes, 1970s–2006 315
20. 13. Population Trends in Verbal Intelligence in the United States 338
21. Appendix: The General Social Survey Project 369
22. Index 379