Washington and Lee University Research Guides: Sociology and Anthropology: Essentials: Finding Data

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Subjects: Community Based Learning, Education, Journalism and Mass Communications, Law, Justice, and Society, Poverty and Human Capability, Sociology and Anthropology

Where to Find Data

Best Bet (Database):

ICPSR This link opens in a new window
An international consortium of more than 750 academic institutions and research organizations, ICPSR provides leadership and training in data access, curation, and methods of analysis for the social science research community.

ICPSR maintains a data archive of more than 250,000 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.

Best Bets (Non-Database):

General Social Survey (GSS) From the publisher: "For five decades, the General Social Survey (GSS) has studied the growing complexity of American society. It is the only full-probability, personal-interview survey designed to monitor changes in both social characteristics and attitudes currently being conducted in the United States."
Pew Research Center From the publisher: "Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. We conduct public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis and other data-driven social science research. We do not take policy positions."
American National Election Studies (ANES) From the publisher: "To serve the research needs of social scientists, teachers, students, policy makers and journalists, the ANES produces high quality data from its own surveys on voting, public opinion, and political participation. Central to this mission is the active involvement of the ANES research community in all phases of the project."
United States Census Bureau Data & Maps A wide array of available census data, including data profiles, and tables and maps
Census Survey Explorer Allows you to search for specific Census Bureau surveys/censuses based on your needed criteria
Data.gov From the publisher: "Data.gov is the United States government's open data website. It provides access to datasets published by agencies across the federal government. Data.gov is intended to provide access to government open data to the public, achieve agency missions, drive innovation, fuel economic activity, and uphold the ideals of an open and transparent government."