"Statistics Anxiety" among Sociology Majors: A First Diagnosis and Some Treatment Options

Many sociologists now seem to assume that most, if not all, sociology students enter statistics courses full of anxiety. The problem is that this assumption is based solely on anecdotal and informal evidence. The present study seeks to correct this problem. The author begins by examining the nature and quality of the evidence that sociologists have offered for the existence of statistics anxiety. He goes on to offer the first empirical assessment of the extent of sociology majors' anxiety. His results show that sociologists' assumption that an overwhelming majority of students are anxious is not quite accurate. They also demonstrate that females and students who expect lower course grades are significantly more likely to report feeling anxious on the first day of class. In conclusion, he outlines a research agenda for studying both the extent and causes of statistics anxiety, and possible treatment options for it. He also discusses three potential negative consequences for students of continuing to assume high levels of statistics anxiety among sociology majors. (Contains 3 tables and 5 footnotes.)