Summary
Professor Evans received her Ph.D. in sociology in 1983 from the University of Chicago. Currently she is a professor of sociology, a faculty member in social psychology and coordinator of the Applied Statistics Program at the University of Nevada, Reno. Her recent research focuses on inequality, social stratification and culture in comparative perspective (Social Forces 2014; Comparative Sociology 2016; Social Science Research 2017); prejudice and discrimination (Sociological Theory 2015; Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2017); religion, science and morals (Nature Biotechnology 2011; Progress in Transplantation 2014); public opinion (Environmental Economics 2015) and quantitative research methods (Handbook of Community Sentiment, 2014; Quality & Quantity, 2015).
Research Interests
- Educational and career success (status attainment): Influences of both individual and contextual forces. Includes studies of the impact of home scholarly culture and of chronotype as well as better known influences.
- Income inequality and wellbeing. Impact (or not) of income equality on health and happiness in international perspective.
- Earnings justice and attitudes towards inequality. Effects of individual and contextual factors.
- Clash and compatibility of religion and science in contemporary culture.
- National identity and national pride: Their causes and consequences in international perspective.
- Quantitative methodology, especially pertaining to surveys and multi-level analysis.
Class Materials
- APST 270 Introduction to Statistical Methods
- APST 470/670 Regression
- APST 436/663 Experimental Design and Analysis
- SOC 706 Intermediate Statistics
- SRJS Social Justice Colloquium
Publications
- Evans, M.D.R. and Jonathan Kelley. 2014. "Attitudes to Organ Transplants Are Mainly Influenced by Scientific Worldviews." Progress in Transplantation 24(2):178-188
- Zagorski, Krzysztof, M.D.R. Evans, Jonathan Kelley, and Katarzyna Piotrowska. 2014. "Does National Income Inequality Affect Individuals' Quality of Life in Europe? Inequality, Happiness, Finances, and Health." Social Indicators Research 1117:1089-1110.
- Evans, M.D.R. 2014. "Chosen dangers: Consensus and social differences in norms about potentially lethal wildlife according to context and species." Environmental Economics 5(3): 19-32.
- Peoples, Clayton, Jonathan Kelley, and M.D.R. Evans. 2014. "Studying Community Sentiment on Family Financial Support Using Secondary Survey Data." Handbook of Community Sentiment, edited by Monica K. Miller, Jeremy A. Blumenthal, and Jared Chamberlain. Springer.
- Evans, M.D.R., Jonathan Kelley and Joanna Sikora. 2014. "Scholarly Culture and Academic Performance in 41 Nations." Social Forces 92(4): 1573-1605.
- Evans, M.D.R., Jonathan Kelley, Joanna Sikora, and Donald J. Treiman. 2015. “Scholarly Culture and Occupational Success in 31 Societies." Comparative Sociology 14 (2): 176 – 218.
- Evans, M.D.R. and Kimberly Rollins. 2015. "The Social Psychology of Outdoor Recreation Lifestyles: Dimensions, Determinants, and Implications." Environmental Economics 6(2):40-53.
- Kelley, Jonathan and M.D.R. Evans. 2015 “Prejudice, Exclusion and Economic Disadvantage: A Theory.” Sociological Theory 33(3): 201-233.
- Evans, M.D.R., Jonathan Kelley, and Juhua Yang. 2016. "Family Background and Education: China in Comparative Perspective." Comparative Sociology 15 (1):41-84. DOI: 10.1163/15691330-12341374.
- Evans, M.D.R. and Jonathan Kelley 2016. "Communism, Capitalism, and Images of Class: Effects of Reference Groups, Reality, and Regime in 43 Nations and 110,000 Individuals, 1987-2009." Cross Cultural Research online before print
- Jonathan Kelley, M.D.R. Evans, Jennifer Lowman, and Valerie Lykes. 2016. "Group-Mean-Centering Independent Variables in Multilevel Models Is Dangerous." Quality & Quantity 51(1): 261–283.
- Kelley, Jonathan and M.D.R. Evans. 2017. "Societal Income Inequality and Individual Subjective Well-Being: Results From 68 Societies and over 200,000 Individuals, 1981-2008." Social Science Research 62(1):1-23.
- Kelley, Jonathan and M.D.R. Evans. 2017. "The New Income Inequality and Well-Being Paradigm: Inequality Has No Effect on Happiness in Rich Nations and Normal Times, Varied Effects in Extraordinary Circumstances, Increases Happiness in Poor Nations, and Interacts with Individuals' Perceptions, Attitudes, Politics, and Expectations for the Future." Social Science Research 62(1):39-74.
- Evans, M.D.R., Jonathan Kelley, and Paul Kelley. 2017. "Identifying the Best Times for Cognitive Functioning Using New Methods: Matching University Times to Undergraduate Chronotypes." Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 19 April 2017
- Evans, M.D.R., Jonathan Kelley, SMC Kelley, and CGE Kelley. 2017. "Rising Income Inequality During the Great Recession Had No Impact on Subjective Wellbeing in Europe, 2003-2012." Journal of Happiness Studies.
Education
- Ph.D., Sociology, University of Chicago, 1983
- M.A., Sociology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1978
- B.A. Sociology, Reed College, 1976