LibGuides: Rappaport Center for Law and Public Policy Resources: Statistics, Public Opinion, and Poll Data

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Statistics, Public Opinion, and Poll Data

Statistics, public opinions, and polling can assist those creating public policy in understanding the needs and wants of the public. The resources below can assist researchers in finding information on public opinions and in locating statistical information.

Data-Planet Statistical Datasets
Time series data from licensed and public domain datasets including key government data. Areas covered include: economic indicators, banking, crime, employment, environment, health, housing, industry, pricing and cost of living, transportation data and many more topics. Includes International Monetary Fund Data. Download data in spreadsheet format with some shapefiles for Geographic Information Systems.

Historical Statistics of the United States This link opens in a new window
Presents the numerical history of the United States. More than 37,000 annual time series of quantitative historical information covering virtually every quantifiable dimension of American history: population, work and welfare, economic structure and performance, governance, and international relations, all from the earliest times to the present.
BC Access: Resource is available via computers connected to the BC network. Off-campus access requires a BC username and password, and is available to the BC Community only (current students, faculty and staff.)

Neighborhood Change Database: 1970 - 2000
This interface contains nation-wide tract-level data from the 1970, 1980, 1990 and 2000 decennial censuses. Researchers tracking demographic trends over time can use variables and tract boundaries that are consistently defined across census years. The scope in includes Long Form data with details such as: population, household, and housing characteristics, income, poverty status, education level, employment, housing costs, immigration, and other variables. Data download and mapping tools are available. Formats are compatible with B.C. supported software.
OECD Statistics
The OECD Statistics delivers a selection of the most frequently used OECD statistics. These monthly, quarterly or annual time series cover the OECD's main areas of coverage: Agriculture and Food - Development and Aid - General Economic Problems - Economic Indicators - National Accounts - Employment - Energy - Financial and Fiscal Affairs - Industry, Science and Technology - Foreign Trade.
Polling the Nations
Polling the Nations is a comprehensive collection of public opinion(14,000 surveys)conducted by more than 700 polling organizations in the United States and more than 80 other countries. The database includes the full text of the questions and responses covering a broad range of issues. In 1981 it began, in print format, as American Public Opinion Index (O'Neill Reference & Stacks HM261.A463) and over the years the database expanded to include surveys from more than 80 other countries in Europe, Canada, Mexico, Africa, and Asia.
Roper Center for Public Opinion Research
Roper Data Center for Public Opinion Research describes numeric data files held at the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research. Researchers interested in secondary analysis of survey data files can determine studies relevant to their areas of interest. Roper database includes:
1.GSS-General Social Survey 1972-2004 Cumulative Data File.
2.2000 & 2004 National Election Pool Exit Polls.
3.National Science Foundation Surveys of Public Understanding of Science and Technology-1979-2001, which monitors public attitudes toward a variety of science-related issues and topics since 1979. Longitudinal data i.e. Virginia Slims American Women's Opinion Poll (United States)
State Stats
Provides data from more than 80 different sources covering more than 15 years at the state level. Topics include health care, crime, education, employment, energy, government finances, social welfare, transportation and more. Mapping and graphing tools to compare with other data sets, or export to Excel.
Statista
Provides quantitative data on media, business, finance, politics, and more.
Statistical Abstract of the United States
Standard summary of statistics on the social, political and economic organization of the U.S. Includes data from governmental and private sources. Serves as a guide to other statistical sources.

ProQuest Statistical Insight Complete Collection This link opens in a new window
ASI: an index of all statistics issued by the US government back to 1973 through CIS' American Statistics Index. SRI: an index to some 1,000 statistical publications of private and state government sources from 1980 forward through CIS' Statistical Reference Index. IIS: an index to international statistics for international intergovernmental statistical publications from 1983 to the present.

Vital Statistics on American Politics
Includes data on elections and political parties, public opinion and voting, the media, the military, social and economic, policy, and more.