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The increased use of statistics in reporting sociological research is viewed by many as an index of the growing maturity of sociology as a science. On the other hand, it is viewed as a movement toward pseudo-science by those who feel that sociologists are using statistics pro forma, with little understanding of the mathematical assumptions upon which the statistical measures are predicated. The increasing use of statistical measures in sociological research is related to problems that sociologists encounter when, seeking funding for, their research. The major supporters of sociological research seek useful knowledge from their expenditures, and much of the successful research they have supported in other disciplines makes considerable use of statistical reasoning. In essence, sociologists no doubt feel they must structure a research proposal so as to demonstrate its scientific merit, and use of statistics is one of the more evident indices of scientific merit. A broader implication for sociology is that specialties which receive substantial funding are more likely to expand than specialties which receive little funding.

This article highlights the emerging crisis in federal funding for social sciences research in the U.S. as of August 1971. In examining the government's statistics on research support for sociology during the past two years, one is at fist impressed by a seeming surge. In 1970 the total research funding for sociology was listed at $46.3 million; this increased to $70.8 million in 1971. The overwhelming source of the jump comes from a leap of almost $29 million in the Office of Economic Opportunity's (OEO) budget for sociological research, but this represents a major share of the total noneconomic research and experimentation program of OEO, most of which is conducted on an in-house basis and virtually none of it by sociologists. The fact is that research funds in sociology have recently leveled off after a decade of growth. Over the past three years, they have remained virtually constant, and at a time of rising research costs, this means a net reduction in effective research support.