04-08-2015

doi:10.3886/ICPSR09304.v1

Parental child-rearing practices and values and factors influencing those practices were the main focus of this Detroit Area Study. Respondents were asked about their involvement with their children and the kind and amount of activities done together, household rules that children were expected to follow and how strictly those rules were enforced, and forms of punishment employed for disobedience such as scolding, grounding, or physical punishment. Parental values were explored by the survey with a variety of items such as the importance to the respondent of being a parent, educational achievement desired for children, the desirability of certain qualities in their children, (e.g., good manners, honesty, sound judgment, responsibility, and being a good student), and whether it was important for their children to have certain skills such as knowing how to swim. Respondents were also queried about their satisfaction with the cleanliness of their homes, the amount of space in the home, the quality of the main meal of the day, and the amount of money available for them to do the things they want to do. Other questions asked by the survey include whether the auto industry would make a comeback, the main reasons the auto industry was in trouble, if the respondent or any of their children had ever gotten into trouble using matches or fire and the consequences of those actions, and whether all important decisions in the life of the family should be made by the man. Background information on individuals includes race, age, sex, household composition, marital status, income, occupation, religious preference, education, and union membership. More information about the Detroit Area Studies Project is available on this Web site http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/detroitareastudies/ .

Alwin, Duane, 2015, "Detroit Area Study, 1982: Child Rearing Values and Practices", http://dx.doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR09304.v1

Alwin, Duane

Harvard University

SCR:011273

DataVerse

Dataverse Network Project

SCR:001997