Codebook
Some datasets, like the GSS, have user-friendly tools like those described in the video above. However, every dataset's codebook and user resources are different!
The Codebook is your friend!
A codebook is a comprehensive document that provides detailed information about the variables and data in a dataset. It serves as a reference guide for researchers and data analysts who work with the dataset, helping them understand the structure, content, and meaning of the data.
In 2008, the table tells us that 745 respondents responded "yes, definitely" to the question "do you believe in life after death."
In the data table, that means that 745 rows had a value of "1", which corresponds to "yes, definitely" in the variable column "AFTERLIF"
Reading a Codebook
Although every codebook is different, they all tell you how to interpret the values from a data table.
Note: each entry in the codebook is for a single variable, and the rows in the codebook (in this case) are values. The numbers or frequencies represent the count of observations.