ABSTRACT

Crime rate, commute time, annual income, performance, safety, and efficiency are all examples of variables measured by researchers. Recall that a variable is a concept or quantity that varies and has a definition and attributes. For example, the American Community Survey created and administered by the U.S. Census Bureau collects information on individual demographics, employment situation, housing characteristics, and so forth. In one document, the Census Bureau provides definitions for all of the variables for which information is collected, one of which is the number of rooms in a housing unit (HU). The Census questionnaire defines the variable “rooms” in the following manner:

Rooms. The intent of this question is to determine the number of whole rooms in each HU that are used for living purposes. Living rooms, dining rooms, kitchens, bedrooms, finished recreation rooms, enclosed porches suitable for year-round use, and lodgers’ rooms are to be included. Excluded are strip or Pullman kitchens, bathrooms, open porches, balconies, halls or foyers, half rooms, utility rooms, unfinished attics or basements, or other unfinished space used for storage. A partially divided room is a separate room only if there is a partition from floor to ceiling, but not if the partition consists solely of shelves or cabinets. 1