A comprehensive, student-oriented text that provides students a challenging first look at social statistics by illustrating the application of statistics to contemporary social issues. Students learn to read and interpret statistics in a variety of settings. Each chapter is complete with numerous practice exercises, problems, and demonstrations and applications of the latest SPSS and in this edition - MicroCase- statistical software packages to reinforce chapter concepts, operations, and formulas. The book's primary emphasis is on developing the following skills necessary for students to become "statistically literate": computational competence; appreciation of statistics; and the ability to read professional social science literature.