Social Science Data Resources: Frequently Used Data

The Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) maintains and provides access to thousands of social science datasets for research and instruction. This is a first place to start in looking for social science data for secondary analysis.

"Serve(s) as the leading source of quality data about the nation's people and economy." Includes the Decennial Census, the American Community Survey the Economic Census, and more.

Features an alphabetical list of data resources from government agencies. Includes topics such as health, education, economic, crime, child and family, immigration, genealogy, labor and many more.

The Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES) series provides information on the buying habits of American consumers and data to support periodic revisions of the Consumer Price Index.

A monthly survey of approximately 50,000 households conducted by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The survey has been conducted for more than 50 years. A detailed demographic supplement is conducted annually in March, and supplements on other topics, including computer use and school enrollment.

The GSS contains a standard 'core' of demographic, behavioral, and attitudinal questions, plus topics of special interest. Many of the core questions have remained unchanged since 1972 to facilitate time-trend studies as well as replication of earlier findings. The GSS takes the pulse of America, and is a unique and valuable resource.

A sample of eighth-graders surveyed in 1988 on a range of topics. A sample were resurveyed through four follow-ups in 1990, 1992, 1994, and 2000. The study has four types of data files - student, teacher, parent, and school - although note each type is available for each survey year.

The National Longitudinal Surveys of Youth are designed to document the transition from school to work and into adulthood. They collect extensive information about youths' labor market behavior and educational experiences over time. Data are also available from SSDS.

The Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) series was begun in 1968 to fill the need for a better understanding of the determinants of family income and its changes. Longitudinal survey of US individuals and the families in which they reside.

The Pew Research Center for The People & The Press offers free access (with registration) to its data archive. Datasets are currently available dating back to January 1997.Datasets include: Hispanic Center; Global Attitudes Project; Pew Internet & American Life; Social & Demographic Trends; and the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

The Statistical Abstract of the United States, published since 1878, is the authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States.
The Statistical Abstract of the United States is currently published commercially and can be found under the call number HA202 .U5a.

Conducted every three years, this survey collects information on the assets, liabilities and other financial characteristics of households. It is the only U.S. survey that contains an oversample of wealthy households. Sample Size is about 4,500 families.

A longitudinal U. S. government survey of the financial status of American households conducted since 1984. Covers government transfer and service programs, pension coverage, housing affordability, financial assistance for education, among other topics. Data may also be accessed via ICPSR. However be aware this is a difficult set of surveys to use.

Public use samples of individual-level data from the U. S. census.

Almost all agencies of the United States Government provide access to related data at their agency websites. If an agency is not listed on this FedStats Webpage, you can do a Google search for the agency and 'data' or 'statistics.'

The series is designed to enable a crossnational comparison of values and norms on a wide variety of topics and to monitor changes in values and attitudes across the globe. A variety of questions on religion and morality were included. Data is currently available at ICPSR for 1981-1984, 1990-1993, 1995-1997, and 1999-2004.

The purpose of Data.gov is to increase public access to high value, machine readable datasets generated by the Executive Branch of the Federal Government.

The University of Wisconsin's Data and Information Services Center's Internet Crossroads contains over 950 annotated links to data-related resources on the Internet.

The Statistical Abstract of the United States, published since 1878, is the authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States.

DataFerrett is a unique data analysis and extraction tool-with recoding capabilities-to customize federal, state, and local data to suit your requirements. (FERRETT stands for Federated Electronic Research, Review, Extraction, and Tabulation Tool.) Using DataFerrett, you can develop an unlimited array of customized spreadsheets that are as versatile and complex as your usage demands.

Most of the datasets in the DSDR archive are raw data from surveys, censuses, and administrative records. Topic areas include:
* Fertility
* Mortality
* Health
* Family and Household Structure
* Migration and Immigration
* Population Characteristics
* Population Growth and Decline