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The study was conducted during the spring and summer of 1971. The aim of the 1971 Detroit Area Study was to gather information on social change in the Detroit area by replicating items from nine earlier Detroit Area Studies that were conducted in 1953-1959, 1968, and 1969. The criteria used for selecting the question items were that they: (1) not be dated by wording or subject matter, (2) be relevant to some problem of current public concern or a continuing issue of sociological theory, and (3) be of the type that would be manageable in a long interview on diverse subjects. The questions chosen to be included in the 1971 Detroit Area Study examined issues such as values in marriage, ideal number of children, satisfaction of wives with marriage, decision-making and division of labor within a marriage, attitudes toward women and work, child-rearing, social participation, religious participation and beliefs, moral and job values, political orientation and participation, evaluation of various institutions, and racial attitudes. In addition to the items replicated from the previous studies, respondents' attitudes toward the United States sending troops to Vietnam were explored. Background variables established respondents' age, sex, race, educational level, marital status, occupation, class identification, and relationship to head of household. Demographic information was also collected on the respondent's spouse and parents.

For this survey, respondents from three counties in the Detroit, Michigan, area were queried about their social attitudes, racial attitudes, religion, community participation, and personal interactions. With respect to social attitudes, respondents' views were elicited on education, taxes, community service, participating in surveys, and privacy issues. Other questions closely examined respondents' attitudes toward African Americans in the Detroit area. Those queried were also asked to name community organizations they belonged to, and to list where in the Detroit area they went for shopping, medical care, entertainment, and recreation. Additional questions asked for detailed educational background information, religious attitudes, and place of worship. Background information includes marital status, employment, political orientation, and income.