A Guide to the American Community Survey (ACS) for the Rural Researcher
Unpacking the Conceptual and Technical Aspects of Using Secondary Data for Rural Research☆
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2291522 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kristie Lebeau (0000-0002-8646-3107, Department of Development Sociology Cornell University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 88 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 791-817 |
| Publication date | 2023-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Rural Sociology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0036-0112 • E-ISSN: 1549-0831 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/ruso.12493 |
| OpenAlex | W4379208893 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 21 |
Sparsely populated rural areas are susceptible to high levels of error in their data, making it difficult to examine patterns and trends across geographies. This article aims to advance research methods for rural researchers by offering guidelines for navigating high levels of error associated with the American Community Survey (ACS). The ACS presents a useful source of U.S. community level data for rural researchers to utilize in school-community research but not without its difficulties. The small population sizes of rural communities often translate to large margins of error in the data, presenting a degree of uncertainty in the actual measure. To illustrate challenges and best practice, the author conducts a case study of the relationship between the presence of schools and economic vitality of rural communities in Indiana using ACS data. The author demonstrates how to examine the error in the data, introduces options to reduce uncertainty, and ultimately, explains how to move forward with the data, working with the margin of error and acknowledging its presence in the analysis and results. This article offers suggestions and techniques to assist rural researchers in navigating ACS obstacles so that they might produce transparent results with as little uncertainty as possible
Data science · Political science · Population · Public relations · Sociology · Statistics · Survey data collection · Unpacking · Computer Science · demographic modeling and climate adaptation · Mathematics · Rural development and sustainability · Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation Studies
The general theory of employment, interest, and money
Patterns and causes of uncertainty in the American Community Survey
Understanding human need
Primary school closures and population development – is school vitality an investment in the attractiveness of the (rural) communities or not
Exploring the gradient
Rural communities and schools – Valuing and reproducing local culture
Spatial Variation in the Quality of American Community Survey Estimates
Studying Neighborhoods Using Uncertain Data from the American Community Survey
The New Destination Disadvantage
Do rural school closures lead to local population decline
School Closures and Rural Population Decline
The Spatial Concentration of America's Rural Poor Population
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,5 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2024 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |