Research Guides: Sociology: Advanced Research Guide: STATS, DATA, POLLS

STATISTICS -- UNITED STATES -- WEBSITES

American Fact Finder
U. S. Census's main website for finding U. S. census data.
U. S. Census Bureau's Quick Facts
Basic data about the U. S., each state, and each county and city.
U.S. Census Bureau
Statistical Abstract of the U.S.
Data.gov
Data.gov, managed and hosted by the U.S. General Services Administration, includes data about many topics -- health, consumer, education, climate, etc.
General Social Survey
"Since 1972, the General Social Survey (GSS) has provided politicians, policymakers, and scholars with a clear and unbiased perspective on what Americans think and feel about such issues as national spending priorities, crime and punishment, intergroup relations, and confidence in institutions." (from the webpage)
Library Spot's statistics page
American Community Survey
By U. S. Census Bureau; fills in gaps between decennial censuses
American Sociological Association's recommended data sets
Duplicates some of those listed above
Brookings Institute
Reports & data about the economy, social issues, government, etc.
National Historical Geographical Information System (NHGIS)
"The National Historical Geographic Information System (NHGIS) provides population, housing, agricultural, and economic data, along with GIS-compatible boundary files, for geographic units in the United States from 1790 to the present." (from the website)
Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research--ICPSR
(University of Michigan)
National Center for Education Statistics
Institute of International Education
Has lots of data posted about students who study abroad
National Center for Health Statistics
Religion in American Culture
Pew Forum
U.S. Bureau of Justice statistics
Hall of Justice
A collection of 10,000 datasets dealing with crime, courts, corrections, and more.
ChildStats
Statistics about U. S. children
Kids Count Data Center
"Access hundreds of measures of child well-being" (demographics, education, special needs, etc.)
AgingStats
Federal government collection of aging data
U. S. Trade Online
U. S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service (ERS)
Datasets about crops and other products
University of Michigan's Panel Study of Income Dynamics
State of the Cities Data Systems
Life in Hampton Roads -- survey by Old Dominion University

STATISTICS -- INTERNATIONAL -- WEBSITES

United Nations Data
Access to 30+ databases of international statistics
United Nations -- State of World Population
United Nations -- Monthly Bulletin of Statistics
OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development): Economic, Environmental, and Social Statistics
World Factbook
Central Intelligence Agency
World Bank Open Data
Lots of economic, social, population, development, and other data.
World Bank Open Development
More than 2,000 economic and development indicators, related to the Open Data site listed just above this one.
Country Studies
U.S. Census Bureau's International Statistical Agencies
Countries around the world
Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research--ICPSR
University of Michigan
Worldwatch Institute
Focus on population and environmental data; check the Vital Signs section
Eurostat
U. S. Census International Programs
Data on countries around the world; rankings of countries with highest populations; etc.
UNECE's Gender Statistics
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
Global Demography of Aging
Happy Planet Index
Worldometers
Continuously-updated statistics, mostly dealing with work population, health issues, etc.
GapMinder
"Shows the world's most important trends"
AidData GeoQuery
Lots of data about countries.

STATISTICS -- VIRGINIA & LOCAL

Virginia Performs
A state of Virginia official website that provides data on health, education, technology, the economy, and much more.
Cooper Center at University of Virginia
Data Virginia
FDIC's State Profiles
Financial information.
National Center for Education Statistics -- State Profiles
Small Business Administration -- State Profiles
Hampton Roads -- Regional Benchmarking Study
Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, December 2010
Life in Hampton Roads -- survey by Old Dominion University

POLLS & SURVEYS

1. STATISTICS & POLLS library databases. For online databases with public opinion polls and related data, please visit our Statistics & Polls library databases webpage.

2. WEBSITES with public opinion and survey data:

Pew Research Center

Pew Social & Demographic Trends

General Social Survey (University of Chicago)

Harris Interactive -- click "In the News" to find some free poll data

PollingReport.com

Pollster.com

Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics -- includes public opinion data on issues such as the death penalty.

Princeton Survey Research Associates International

World Public Opinion

World Values Survey

European Social Survey

3. BOOKS & JOURNAL ARTICLES with public opinion and survey data:

To find printed or electronic books that contain poll or public opinion data , search our catalog, using 'public opinion' OR 'opinion polls' as key phrases.
To find journal articles, search Sociological Abstracts or other databases, using "opinion polls," opinions, "public opinion," "social attitudes," surveys, questionnaires, fieldwork, and other related terms as Descriptors, Subjects, or Keywords.