Education's Effects on Psychological Well-Being

Data from the 1973–1978 General Social Surveys were usedto estimate, by means of multiple regression analysis, the effectsof years of school completed on eight dimensions of psychologicalwell-being for white men, white women, black men, and blackwomen. Estimates are provided of total effects, effects netof socioeconomic variables, and effects net of socioeconomicvariables, family situation, and frequency of attendance ofreligious services. There is little evidence for negative effects,the only statistically significant negative coefficient beingthat for satisfaction with community among white men. Thereis some evidence that education has positive effects on psychologicalwell-being in all subpopulalions except black men, the strongestevidence being for white women. Dummy variable regression estimatesof the effects of different increments of education indicategreater effects from four years of high school than from fouryears of college. There is tentative evidence that mothers'education may have an important positive effect on their offspring'spsychological well-being. . The data reported here are from the 1973–1978 GeneralSocial Surveys conducted by the National Opinion Research Center(James A. Davis, principal investigator) with funds from theNational Science Foundation. The authors are solely responsiblefor the analyses and interpretations presented here. The dataset was obtained from the Roper Center at the University ofConnecticut. We are indebted to the management of the San AntonioCollege Computer Center for providing computer time for thisproject.     

Journalism and Social Science: A New Relationship?

This article argues that the use of social science perspectivesand methods by journalists is not a recent phenomenon, but onewhich began to develop long ago within the dominant humanisticphilosophy of professional journalism. Changing definitionsof news in recent times, however, are likely to enhance therole of the social sciences in both professional journalismand journalism education, especially as some journalists seekto move beyond the reporting of specific, isolated events toproviding a context which gives them meaning. If journalisticand social science methods are to become more closely wedded,one very important condition, in addition to interest by editorsand availability of talent, is financial support from thosewho own and control mass media.     

Enjoyment of Work by Full-Time Workers in the U.S., 1955 and 1980

Two questions concerning enjoyment of work asked on a 1955 AmericanGallup Poll were asked on a 1980 United States national surveyto gauge the net change during a quarter of a century. Onlythe responses of persons employed full-time were used for thisstudy. Indicated enjoyment of work was substantially lower in1980 than in 1955. The difference was especially great for manualworkers, Protestants, and older persons. A tentative conclusiondrawn from examining trend data for one birth cohort is thatthe change resulted from cohort succession and from orientationsand attitudes members of younger cohorts brought to their workrather than from changes in work conditions which affected workersof all ages and in all birth cohorts. Some implications of thefindings are disscussed.