Democracy and Social Science II

Professor Jeff Grynaviski

Winter 2003 (Prepared February 12, 2003)

Homework #4. Due February 20, 2003

Use the data set (Excel format) and codebook (rich text format) for an abridged version of the 1996 National Election Study from the last homework assignment.

Your assignment for this week is as follows:

Use SPSS to perform the following exercises:

1. Follow last week’s instructions to create a “proxy” variable for vote choice using the Clinton and Dole feeling thermometer scores.

2. Estimate three bivariate regressions, including at least one regression with a dummy variable.

3. Estimate a multiple regression including the same three variables included in the regressions from step 2.

4. Summarize your findings from step 3, explaining the magnitude of the effect of the independent variables and whether or not they are statistically significant. Then, compare the results from the simple and the multiple regressions. In particular, discuss whether any of the regression coefficients in the multiple regression became significant or insignificant, changed signs, etc. Explain why you think that occurred

5. Estimate a second multiple regression, this time interacting the dummy variable with both of the other independent variables.

6. Interpret the results of the model with interaction terms, focusing on whether or not the regression coefficients are stable for the different categories of the dummy variable.