Michael “Mike” Hout is a sociologist who uses demographic methods to study social change in religion, politics, and inequality. For much of his career, he has been involved with the National Science Foundation’s General Social Survey (GSS). His current work uses federal surveys, tax records, and the GSS to study changing occupational hierarchies, social mobility, and long-term trends associated with political polarization. Hout has also written about the effects of secondary and higher education on social inequality and mobility, as well as shifts in voting patterns and political engagement based on factors like class, religion, race, and marital status.
Professional positions
- 2013–present: Professor of sociology, New York University
- 1985–2013: Associate professor of sociology (1985–1988), full professor of sociology (1988–2006), professor of sociology and demography (2006–2013), and Natalie Cohen Professor of Sociology and Demography (2006–2013, now emeritus), University of California, Berkeley
- 1976–1985: Assistant (1976–1982) and associate (1982–1985) professor of sociology, University of Arizona
Notable publications
- Hout, Michael. 2021. “America’s Liberal Social Climate and Trends: Change in 283 General Social Survey Variables Between and Within US Birth Cohorts, 1972–2018.” Public Opinion Quarterly 85 (4): 1009–1049.
- Hout, Michael. 2012. “Social and Economic Returns to College Education in the United States.” Annual Review of Sociology 38:379–400.
- Greeley, Andrew, and Michael Hout. 2006. The Truth About Conservative Christians: What They Think and What They Believe. University of Chicago Press.
- Fischer, Claude S., and Michael Hout. 2006. Century of Difference: How America Changed in the Last One Hundred Years. Russell Sage Foundation.
Degrees
- PhD, sociology, Indiana University
- MA, sociology, Indiana University
- BA, sociology and history, University of Pittsburgh
Induction Remarks
In The ANNALS
- Volume 663, January 2016: “Money and Morale: Growing Inequality Affects How Americans View Themselves and Others”
- Volume 657, January 2015: “A Summary of What We Know About Social Mobility”
