Politics JP: Politics of China & Southeast Asia 

Top-level statistics for opinion polls present the percentage of respondents that gave particular replies to the survey questions.

For example:

Typically these statistics only give a first blush view of the poll's results, but for many cases this will suffice as an indicator of what the poll is trying to measure. Most poll question databases and summary reports of opinion studies present top-level statistics such as these.

For more detailed breakdowns of responses according to different demographic characteristics, more complex analysis such as cross-tabulations are needed. To do that level of analysis requires access to the micro-level data of the survey results.

Micro-level data are the set of replies recorded for each of the respondents to the poll along with demographic infromation about them.

Access to micro-level data allows researchers to conduct more complex analysis to determine how various subgroups among the respondents answered the survey.

These typically take the form of large electronic files that require statistical software such as Excel or STATA to read and analyze. Our Data & Statistical Services staff are available to assist you in accessing and analyzing micro-level data.

Polling the Nations
Polling the Nations is a compilation of public opinion surveys conducted in the United States and more than 80 other countries. Each record includes the question asked and the responses given, the polling organization responsible for the work, the date the information was released, the sample size, and the groups or areas included in the interview.

Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)
URL: http://www.icpsr.umich.edu
Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the ICPSR provides member colleges and universities with access to an extensive data archive, as well as training facilities for social scientists conducting quantitative analysis. Search their data holdings by keyword or browse by thematic categories.

Asian Barometer
URL: http://www.asianbarometer.org/newenglish/introduction/
Since 2001, Asian Barometer surveys public opinion on political values, democracy, and governance around the region. Their regional network encompasses 12 East Asian political systems (Japan, Mongolia, South Koreas, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, and Indonesia), and 5 South Asian countries (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal). This web site provides access to PDF copies of their working papers and conference papers, and listings of various academic publications.

Pew Global Attitudes Project
URL: http://pewglobal.org
A project of the Pew Research Center, the Global Attitudes Project is a series of worldwide public opinion surveys that encompasses a broad array of subjects ranging from people's assessments of their own lives to their views about the current state of the world and important issues of the day.

WorldPublicOpinion.org
URL: http://www.worldpublicopinion.org
A publication of the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland, WorldPublicOpinion.org is a source of in-depth information and analysis on public opinion on international issues from around the world.

World Values Survey
URL: http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org
The World Values Survey (WVS) is a global network of social scientists who have surveyed the basic values and beliefs of the publics of more than 80 societies around the world. You can access survey data on the WVS site, as well as learn about publications based on survey data. See also the European and World Values Surveys Four-wave Integrated Data File, 1981-2004 link at the ICPSR.

International Social Survey Programme
URL: http://www.gesis.org/en/data_service/issp/index.htm
The ISSP is a continuing annual program of cross-national surveys covering various social science topics. Survey availability goes back to 1985. Currently, 41 countries are represented, though not all go back as far. This web site allows free access to codebooks and questionnaires only, data files must be purchased. For free access to data files see ICPSR.

Zogby International
URL: http://www.zogby.com
Since 1984, Zogby has tracked public opinion in North America, Latin America, the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. Despite the shameless self-promotion, their web site provides many brief reports and news releases that summarize the key findings of their polls. Keyword searching the site is usually the best bet. PUL has purchased a modest number of selected polls, check the Main Catalog.