Page 29 - Sociology and You

Percentages
Sociologists use the concept of percentages quite often in their work on groups and social structures. Percent means “parts per hundred.” So when a sociologist notes that, say, 18 percent of a group has a certain trait, she means that 18 out of 100 members of that group possess the trait in
question. Changes in the size or number of a particular item (usually over time) can be expressed in percentages also. Stating the amount of change as a percentage allows you to analyze the relative size of the change. For example, if you knew that the populations of two states each increased by 250,000 people, you would have some information. But knowing that the percentage change in one state was 1 per- cent, while in the other state it was 15 percent, would pro- vide you with substantially more information about the rel- ative size of the increase, and would allow you to infer some of the possible consequences for the states.
Learning the Skill
Follow these steps to learn how to calculate and use percentages.
◆ Calculate the percent by dividing the number of the sub-group or
change by the number of the original group population. Multiply your
answer by 100 to express it as a percentage.
◆ Compare the percentage you calculated with other relevant measures.
◆ Remember that numbers or percentages by themselves tell you very lit-
tle. This type of information is most useful when compared to other, similar types of information, so that you can put it into its proper context.
Practicing the Skill
Complete the table on page HB-16 by calculating the missing percentages. Then answer the questions below the table.
1. Look at the percentages of students studying sociology at each school. Do you see a pattern? Does sociology seem to be more popular at some schools than others?
2. Now look at the differences between the percentages studying sociology in 1990 and 2000 at each school. Do you see a pattern of change during the ten-year period?
3. What might account for the changes you noticed?
The individuals in this group can be categorized in many dif- ferent ways. What percentage of the group is male? Female? African American? Redheaded?
Sociology Handbook HB-15