|
The purpose of this guide is to provide links to major sources of statistical information on the Internet. 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 JoAnn Jacoby.
Databases:
Help with Statistical Analysis and Datasets:
- 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), including:
- assistance in accessing and using social science data archive subscriptions
- developing data sets for faculty, instructors, and students in their teaching and research
- providing GIS & statistics workshops and class tutorials
- consulting to instructors, researchers, and students related to statistical analyses and use of software related to statistics and GIS (geographical information systems)
Libraries:
- Government Documents Library Statistical Resources Page, University of Illinois
The best place to start looking for statistics. The Governments Documents Library has created an extensive
website with annotated bibliographies to both print and online statistical resources.
- 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.
- 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- Statistical Information from Around the World
A clickable map of the world leads to the statistical offices and bureaus of other countries.
- 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.
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. Please ask the reference librarian if you have any questions.
- Princeton University Data and Statistical Services
Access to many downloadable statistical data, such as Economic Time Series, Census Data, and International Data Sources.
- 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
- 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 receive a message "access denied" in attempting to download 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. The University supports access to this resource through the
office of Applied Technologies for Learning in the Arts and
Sciences. For more information concerning this office go to
https://www.atlas.uiuc.edu/data_stats/
- Cornell Institute for Social and Economic Research (CISER)
CISER provides a range of services including the maintenance of a searchable and data archive as well as Internet Resources, a near-comprehensive listing of other data resources for social scientists.
- 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).
- 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.
- Pew Research Center
The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan "fact tank" that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It does so by conducting public opinion polling and social science research; by reporting news and analyzing news coverage; and by holding forums and briefings. It does not take positions on policy issues.
Areas of particular relevance include:
- 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. Patrons will need their UIUC email address.
*See our College and University Rankings and Evaluations page for statistical comparisons of higher education institutions.
National Education Statistics:
- Digest of Education Statistics
- National Center for Education Statistics
"The National Center for Education Statistics fulfills a Congressional mandate to collect, collate, analyze, and report complete statistics on the condition of American education; conduct and publish reports; and review and report on education activities internationally." (NCES) This site provides access to many reports and publications of the NCES, a few of which are listed below:
- 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.
- NEA Education Statistics
The National Education Association provides online statistical reports focusing on public schools and educator issues.
- Public Elementary-Secondary School Systems Financial Data
This site provides 1990 Census Bureau information on Public School Financial Data for 1992, 1993 and 1994. Three types of downloadable data are provided: ASCII files, comma-delimited files or SAS data sets.
State of Illinois Education Statistics:
- 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.
- Chicago Public Schools
School test scores and demographic reports from CPS. Data available by individual schools or aggregated citywide.
International Education Statistics:
- 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.
Arms Control
*Also check the SIPRI Yearbook, located in the Education Library's Arms Control Collection (341.67ST6)
- World Military Expenditures and Arms Transfers
Provides links to the WMEAT 1995 (HTML format) and 1996 documents, as well as specific parts of WMEAT 1996. All 1996 documents are in PDF format.
- UN Peace-Keeping Operations
Provides links to current and completed missions, demining information and rapid deployment.
- 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.
Crime and Justice:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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. Tables are sorted into 6 topical sections: Criminal justice
characteristics; Public opinion; Crime & victims; Arrests &
seizures; Courts, prosecution & sentencing; Parole, jails,
prisons; and Death penalty.
Economics:
- 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.
- 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:
- 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.
- 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:)
- 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.
|
