Howard Schuman

Howard Schuman
Born(1928-03-16)March 16, 1928
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
DiedApril 18, 2021(2021-04-18) (aged 93)
Maine, U.S.
Alma materAntioch College
Trinity University
Harvard University
Known forSurvey research
AwardsGuggenheim Fellowship (1980–1981)
American Association for Public Opinion Research's Award for Exceptionally Distinguished Achievement (1994)
Paul F. Lazarsfeld Award from the Methodology Section of the American Sociological Association (1996)
Warren J. Mitofsky Award for Excellence in Public Opinion Research from the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research (2017)
Scientific career
FieldsSociology
InstitutionsUniversity of Michigan
ThesisSocial structure and personality constriction in a total institution (1961)

Howard Schuman (March 16, 1928 – April 18, 2021) was an American sociologist and professor of sociology at the University of Michigan. He is known for his work on survey research, such as the design of polling questions.[1]

Biography

Howard Schuman was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on March 16, 1928.[2] He received his A.B. from Antioch College in philosophy in 1953, his M.S. in psychology from Trinity University in 1956, and his Ph.D. in sociology from Harvard University in 1961. He joined the faculty of the University of Michigan in 1964 as an assistant professor, and became a full professor there in 1971. From 1982 to 1990, he directed the Survey Research Center at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research. He retired from his positions at the University of Michigan in 1996; he has been an emeritus professor at the University of Michigan and an emeritus research scientist at their Survey Research Center until 2021.[3] In 2017, Schuman received the Warren J. Mitofsky Award for Excellence in Public Opinion Research from the board of directors of the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research at Cornell University.[4] Schuman died in Maine on April 18, 2021, at the age of 93.[5]

Research

Schuman researched many topics in the field of survey research, including public opinion on whether Christopher Columbus discovered America,[6] reported incidents of police abuse in major U.S. cities,[7] and the relationship between studying and grades.[8]

Professional affiliations

Schuman was a fellow of the Society of Personality and Social Psychology from 1991, of the Association for Psychological Science from 2004, and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences from 1993.[3]

References

  1. ^ Frankovic, Kathy (12 September 2007). "Polls, Truth Sometimes At Odds". CBS News. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  2. ^ Reports of the President and of the Treasurer. John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. 1980. p. 89. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Howard Schuman CV" (PDF). Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  4. ^ "Mitofsky Award & Dinner - Roper Center". Roper Center. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  5. ^ "Howard Schuman". American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  6. ^ Sides, John (10 October 2016). "Is Christopher Columbus truly a villain? This is what the public really thinks". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  7. ^ Kifner, Joan (9 August 1970). "In the Ghettos of Chicago, Policemen Are Targets". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  8. ^ "Students who spend a lot of time studying may be wasting their time..." UPI. 29 August 1985. Retrieved 11 June 2017.