LibGuides: Political Science Subject Guide: Data &amp; Statistics

Tips on Finding & Using Data

Finding the right primary data can be difficult. Though much of it is freely available and accessible from universities, governments, and non-profit organizations, there may not be a free data set that exactly matches your topic.

Some tips for finding useful data:

Browse, don't just search.
Most data exists in PDFs and excel sheets, which web searches often don't discover. Use the lists below to find likely websites, then look at how they organize their research and browse through logical categories.
Look for small pieces.
You may not find a chart that answers all of your questions. You're more likely to find several sets of data that provide the information in small pieces. Look for one piece at a time.
Look for the 'download' button.
Downloading data lets you manipulate it through charts and graphs, or to reorder it to make different conclusions.
Look at the codebook.
Most data sets have a codebook. The codebook for a data set gives you important information such as how the data was collected, how it is presented, what abbreviations mean, what survey questions were used, and much more. It can be an important tool to help interpret your data. Check out this guide for more information on codebooks.
Keep an open mind.
You often won't find the exact data you're wishing for - but you may find ways to attack the question sideways, or to adjust what you're asking slightly once you see what data is available.
Ask for help.
If you can't find what you're looking for, talk with your professor or a librarian and we'll help you find what you need! You can even make an appointment with a librarian!

Other Data & Statistics

Urban Insitute This link opens in a new window
Publishes freely-available, data-driven reports, analyses and recommendations on a variety of social topics such as children and youth, crime and justice, education, employment, immigration, infrastructure, poverty, race, gender, and more.
ICPSR This link opens in a new window
ICPSR (Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research) maintains a data archive of more than 500,000 files of research in the social sciences. It hosts 16 specialized collections of data in education, aging, criminal justice, substance abuse, terrorism, and other fields.
UN Data This link opens in a new window
The numerous databases, tables and glossaries containing over 60 million data points cover a wide range of themes including Agriculture, Crime, Education, Employment, Energy, Environment, Health, HIV/AIDS, Human Development, Industry, Information and Communication Technology, National Accounts, Population, Refugees, Tourism, Trade, as well as the Millennium Development Goals indicators.
Statistical Abstract of the United States This link opens in a new window
Summarized statistics on the American population, economy, and political environments from 1879 to 2012.
Data.gov This link opens in a new window
Almost 140,000 data sets from the US Government on a variety of topics.
Harvard Dataverse Network This link opens in a new window
Data sets and scientific studies in the social sciences. Access to some data sets may require an application.

Crime Statistics & Data

Bureau of Justice Statistics This link opens in a new window
Annual data on criminal victimization. populations under correctional supervision, federal criminal offenders and case processing, as well as periodic data on other aspects of crime and justice, provided by the Office of Justice.
Data.gov This link opens in a new window
Almost 140,000 data sets from the US Government on a variety of topics.
ICPSR This link opens in a new window
ICPSR (Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research) maintains a data archive of more than 500,000 files of research in the social sciences. It hosts 16 specialized collections of data in education, aging, criminal justice, substance abuse, terrorism, and other fields.
Innocence Project This link opens in a new window
A national organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted. Contains descriptions of cases where wrongful conviction has been proven.
National Crime Victimization Survey This link opens in a new window
Data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics on the frequency, characteristics, and consequences of criminal victimization in the United States.
National Registry of Exonerations This link opens in a new window
Provides detailed information about every known exoneration in the United States since 1989.
UN Data This link opens in a new window
The numerous databases, tables and glossaries containing over 60 million data points cover a wide range of themes including Agriculture, Crime, Education, Employment, Energy, Environment, Health, HIV/AIDS, Human Development, Industry, Information and Communication Technology, National Accounts, Population, Refugees, Tourism, Trade, as well as the Millennium Development Goals indicators.
Uniform Crime Report This link opens in a new window
Statistics on crime from the FBI. Puts out four annual publications, Crime in the United States, National Incident-Based Reporting System, Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted, and Hate Crime Statistics
Urban Insitute This link opens in a new window
Publishes freely-available, data-driven reports, analyses and recommendations on a variety of social topics such as children and youth, crime and justice, education, employment, immigration, infrastructure, poverty, race, gender, and more.