Introduction to Sociology

Table 1. Examples of Dependent and Independent Variables

Hypothesis	Independent Variable	Dependent Variable
The greater the availability of affordable housing, the lower the homeless rate.	Affordable housing	Homeless rate
The greater the availability of math tutoring, the higher the math grades.	Math tutoring	Math grades
The greater the police patrol presence, the safer the neighborhood.	Police patrol presence	Safer neighborhood
The greater the factory lighting, the higher the productivity.	Factory lighting	Productivity
Individuals with college degrees or higher are less likely to live below the poverty line.	College education	Likelihood of living below the poverty line

As the table shows, an independent variable is the one that influences the other variable. Rather than being “right,” sociologists are interested in the relationships between variables. If we were to examine the last example, what other variables might come into play? Would we see similar patterns of income for all college-educated people or are there disparities for racial and ethnic minorities? Gender minorities? First, we must move into the next research steps: designing and conducting a study and drawing conclusions. You’ll learn more about these types of research methods in the next section of the course.