To understand the differences in racial/ethnic attitudes and behavior, you will complete a data exploration
report. This assignment is designed to expose you to survey data, give you experience in analyzing and
interpreting data, and allow you to explore the perspectives of racial minorities on political issues and variations
in their behavior. The report will consist of two components, 1) political attitudes and 2) political participation.
You will be provided with the 2016 Collaborative Multi-Racial Post-Election Survey (CMPS) Topline Results as
your main data source, but you are free to supplement your reports from any reputable surveys like Pew
Research, the US Census, ANES, etc. You do not need any prior statistical knowledge.
Instructions: The report will consist of two sections:
Political Attitudes Section: Your task is to explore the variation or lack of variation in political attitudes of racial
groups. You can choose any public opinion question, such as opinions on various policies, presidential
approval, economic perception, feelings towards government institutions, etc. Your report for this section
should be 350-500 words. You do not need to have prior statistical or data analysis experience to do this
project.
You should pick 5 related questions to analyze. The questions should share a common theme, like partisan
affiliation or policy approval.
You should report the results, like the percentage of respondents in each group who approves of a policy, etc.
Interpret the results and discuss possible explanations of the patterns you observed based on readings and
concepts.
Political/Civic Participation Section: Your task is to explore the variation or lack of variation in the political
participation behavior between racial or ethnic groups. You can choose any civic/political participation
questions such as voting, volunteering with campaigns, donating to candidates, etc. Your report for this section
should be 350-500 words.
You should pick 5 related questions to analyze. The questions should share a common theme, like voting
behavior or engagement with politics.
You should report the results, like the percentage of respondents in each group who reported that they voted in
the last presidential election.
Interpret the results and discuss possible explanations of the patterns you observed based on readings and
concepts.