Selected Resources for Statistics in the Social Sciences
The purpose of this guide is to provide links to major sources of statistical information on the
Internet and in print in the Library. The focus is on education and areas within the social
sciences, such as crime, population and demography, crime and arms control. Links to international
sources of statistical information are also included. If you would like to recommend a website for
inclusion, please contact
Annie Paprocki.
Questions?
Ask a librarian.
General Resources |
Social Science Data Collections |
Public Opinion Data |
Education Statistics |
Special Topics |
Population and Demographic Sources
General Resources
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Statistical Universe -
Statistical Universe includes all statistics issued by the U.S. government back to 1973 through
CIS' American Statistics Index. 1,000 statistical publications of private and state government
sources from 1980 forward through CIS' Statistical Reference Index.
Help with Statistical Analysis and Datasets
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Data Services @ The
Library - The University Library and
ATLAS are collaborating to provide robust support for
faculty and students who are using numeric data sets for research and teaching with projects like
Data Services Office Hours (Wednesday 1:30-4:30 pm, 200-D Main Library), where staff from ATLAS and
librarians with a wide range of expertise will work together to provide reference and technical
consultation to help users identify and use data. Services offered include: acquiring data sets
needed for teaching and research; locating, downloading and preparing data for secondary analysis;
identifying and creating course materials and teaching tools (including customized data sets drawn
from various data repositories) and consulting about software problems.
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ATLAS - ATLAS is designed to support the teaching and
research needs of students and faculty in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS). They
provide a range of statistics and GIS services (generally free for LAS faculty and students,
fee-based for others).
Libraries
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University of Michigan Statistical
Resources - This Internet site is a comprehensive guide to statistical information of the WWW.
It is produced by the University of Michigan's Documents Center, and includes detailed information
and links to WWW resources for: agriculture, foreign trade, business and industry, government
finances, health, cost of living, housing, demographics, labor, economics, military, education,
politics, energy, science, finance and currency, sociology, foreign economics, transportation,
foreign governments, weather, and more.
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Yahoo!'s Statistics Links - Yahoo!'s site
is also organized by subject category and links to regional as well as the major federal
information sources.
United States Statistics Resources
International Statistics Sources
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United Nations Statistics Division - The
goal of this division is to collect, analyze and disseminate a wide range of statistical
information to the general public. The site includes links to information on statistical methods,
links to data and reports, and other sources.
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Domestic and International Statistics Resources -
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has compiled a list of statistical agencies or bureaus of many other
countries, from Algeria to Yugoslavia. Links to international organizations are also provided.
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Sociological Data Archive : Prague - The
Sociological Data Archive at the Institute of Sociology in Prague is a library of computerised data
files from sociological surveys. Its main objective is to make Czech sociological data publicly
available for academic, educational and other non-commercial purposes. The Archive stores data from
original Czech projects of academic research, opinion polls, and international surveys with Czech
participation.
Social Science Data Collections
The collections below all have access to a great deal of statistical data and are excellent
resources. There may be some tools within each collection that are restricted to faculty or
students of the sponsoring institution.
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Geostat Center at the Scholars'
Lab, University of Virginia Library - The Statistical Data Resources of the Scholars' Lab at
the University of Virginia Library provides access to the University's collection of electronic
statistical and social science data. This site provides access to many excellent tools such as
County Business Patterns, National Income and Product Accounts, and other social science data. Some
Scholars' lab resources are limited to University of Virginia faculty and students.f
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The Inter-University Consortium for
Political and Social Research (ICPSR) - Established in 1962, the Inter-University Consortium
for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) is a membership-based organization which supports and
provides access to "the world's largest archive of computer-based research and instructional data
for the social sciences." The archive consists of large data sets that can be downloaded and used
to generate charts, graphs, and other statistical representations. It is fully searchable, with the
interface supporting subject searching and keyword searching in the title and abstract of each data
set. If you need help downloading a data set, please note the Study #, the name and the number of
the data set, and contact Dawn Owens-Nicholson at 333-7751 or bluemoon@uiuc.edu.
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The Social Statistics Briefing Room - The
goal of this site is to provide easy access to Federal statistics on Crime, Demography, Education
and Health topics. Also provides a link to the Economic Statistics Briefing Room (see below).
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Statistics Sources
. (016.31 ST2, current year in Main Reference) - Guide to help you find sources of
quantitative information on over 20,000 specific subjects. International as well as United
States statistics are included. Entries provide the name of the publishing agency as well as
other contact information.
Public Opinion Data
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Gallup Brain - Gallup Brain is
a public opinion database created by the Gallup Organization, well known for their public opinion
data collection since 1935. Gallup Brain contains "answers to more than 136,000 questions, and
responses from more than 3.5 million people interviewed by The Gallup Poll." It also includes
articles and management data analyses.
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Polling the Nations - Polling
the Nations is a compilation of more than 14,000 surveys conducted by over 1,000 polling
organizations in the United States and more than 100 other countries from 1986 to the present. Each
of the nearly 500,000 records reports a question asked and the responses given. Also included in
each record is the polling organization responsible for the work, the date the information was
released, the sample size, and universe, i.e., the groups or areas included in the interview, such
as parents with children in public schools, Great Britain, the United States, or California.
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Roper Center Collection - Roper
Center is an archive of public opinion data collected from surveys and polls performed by groups
such as Gallup, Roper, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and more. The public opinion data covers
"politics and government, public institutions, international relations, business, social affairs
and consumer behavior and preferences." The link to the
Roper Center Collection
includes the expanded version of the
i-POLL survey
database. All i-POLL surveys and polls are downloadable from any campus computer.
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Index to International Public Opinion
. - (303.38016 In2, Education Reserves) - A compilation of the highlights of significant
surveys conducted each year by leading opinion research organizations. Surveys are arranged
by topic. Indexes provide access by subject and by country from 1978 to the present.
Education Statistics
*See our
College and University Rankings and Evaluations page for
statistical comparisons of higher education institutions.
National Education Statistics
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Education Finance Statistical Center - The ESFC has three
main objectives: "it examines how changes in education finance might be incorporated into survey
instruments and publications, to develop experimental statistical measures for addressing federal
and state policy questions, and to assess state needs in the area of education finance." (from the
EFSC FAQ) The center's publications can be viewed or
downloaded at the
EFSC Publications Page.
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Grapevine: An Annual Compilation of Data on
State Tax Appropriations for the General Operation of Higher Education - Provides an annual
compilation of data on state tax support for higher education, including general fund
appropriations for universities, colleges, community colleges, and state higher education agencies.
Includes tables with appropriations per capita; state rankings on percentage changes; and several
other categories. A 50-state summary table showing total state tax appropriations for the current
year and percent changes over time is also provided.
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NEA Education Statistics- The National Education
Association provides online statistical reports focusing on public schools and educator
issues.
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120 years of American Education: a Statistical Portrait
. - (371.00973 ON2, Education) - Provides data on elementary, secondary and higher
education. The earlier data covers only a few areas such as enrollment in public elementary
and secondary school, attendance, teachers and their salaries, and high school graduates.
State of Illinois Education Statistics
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Illinois State Board of Education - Data on
education in Illinois from the Data Analysis and Progress Reporting division of the ISBE. A variety
of statistical reports are available in PDF format, covering elementary and secondary education,
ACT scores, gifted education programs, and other topics.
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Chicago Public Schools - School
test scores and demographic reports from CPS. Data available by individual schools or aggregated
citywide.
International Education Statistics:
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UNESCO Institute for
Statistics - "Global and internationally comparable statistics on education, science,
technology, culture and communication" from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization. Includes country profiles and the annual
Global Education Digest.
Special Topics
Arms Control
*Also check the
SIPRI Yearbook, located in the Education Library's Arms Control Collection (341.67ST6)
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Statistics of Military Manpower - Compiled and
maintained by the Statistical Information Analysis Division, this page provides information on
Department of Defense military and civilian personnel based on active duty, region, rank/grade, and
function.
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Statistics of Democide: Genocide and Mass Murder since 1900
. - (364.1510904 R865s, Education Reference) - This work gives the estimates, sources, and
calculations for the case studies detailed in the author’s previous work,
Death by Government
. In the present volume, Rummell undertakes a quantitative analysis of 141 state regimes that
have practiced democide (systematic killing of one’s own citizens).
Crime and Justice
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National Criminal Justice Reference Service - The NCJRS is
comprised of a number of clearinghouses supporting numerous departments and offices of the U.S.
government. Topics covered include Juvenile Justice, Courts and International Data. The NCJRS
Abstracts Database, a database of criminal justice literature, is accessible free of charge to the
public.
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Bureau of Justice Statistics - The BJS is
the primary source for the collection, analysis and dissemination of statistics on crime and
justice in the United States. This site provides links to reports and data as well as the
publications of the BJS.
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Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics - Brings
together data from more than 100 sources about many aspects of criminal justice in the United
States, displayed in over 600 tables including: criminal justice characteristics; public opinion;
crime and victims; arrests and seizures; courts, prosecution and sentencing; parole, jails,
prisons; and the death penalty.
Economics
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Economic Statistics Briefing Room - Like its
counterpart, the Social Statistics Briefing Room, the ESBR provides public access to statistics in
areas such as Income, Prices, Transportation and Employment. A link to the Social Statistics
Briefing Room is also provided.
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Economic Research Service - The ERS is part of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture and provides analysis of economic information on issues relating to
agriculture, food, and the environment.
Population and Demographics Sources
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U.S. Census Bureau Home Page - The Census Bureau should be the
first stop for anyone looking for statistics on social, demographic or economic data on a national,
state or local level.
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Statistical Abstract of the U.S. - The
Statistical Abstract is a compilation of important and useful data from several government
agencies on a wide range of topics. The web version has selected features, including "USA
Statistics in Brief" and "State Rankings". The Education Library, the Reference Room each own a
print copy of the most recent edition that can be used in the library. Between the Documents
Library, the Main Stacks and the Commerce Library, the Library owns print copies back to the first
edition in 1878. (317UN3S or DOC.C3.134:)
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Current Population Survey - The CPS is a joint effort
between the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Bureau of the Census to collect, analyze and
disseminate information on labor force characteristics in the United States for policy makers,
legislators, researchers and students. The site is searchable and also provides links to related
surveys and supplements.
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Demographic Yearbook
- Annual comprehensive collection of international demographic information for 250 geographic areas
of the world. Topics covered include population, natality, mortality, marriage and
divorce.
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Black
Americans: A Statistical Source Book
. - (305.896073 B5622, Main Reference, previous year in Education Reference) - Provides
data and tables focusing on demographics and populace characteristics; vital statistics and health;
education; government, elections, and public opinion; crime, law enforcement and corrections; labor
& employment; income, poverty, and wealth.
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Hispanic Americans: A Statistical Source Book
. 2008. (305.8680021 H629, Main Reference, previous year in Education Reference) -
Provides data and tables focusing on demographics; social characteristics; household and family
characteristics; education; government and elections; the labor force, employment and unemployment;
earnings, income, poverty and wealth; crime and corrections; and special topics.
University Library