Research Guides: SPIA: Welcome to the Library: Data and Statistics

Finding Data

If you are wanting to find a data set or statistics for your research, consider looking at some of the following options. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list and that we may have other resources that could better suit your needs. Please feel free to reach out to your librarian for additional help.

At the bottom of this page we've also listed places you can go to get other forms of data help.

Potential Data Sources:

Data and Statistical Services (DSS) Data Catalog
DSS maintains a catalog of microdata sources organized by topic and region.
ICPSR (Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research)
ICPSR is the world's largest archive of digital social science data. You can search their data holdings by keyword or browse by thematic categories. They archive many surveys and exit polls.
Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS)
IPUMS consists of microdata from more than fifty high-precision samples of the American population drawn from federal censuses (1850-2000) and from the American Community Surveys (2000+). Allows users to create their own samples of the US population rather than relying on the Census Bureau's pre-set tables.
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IPUMS is not a collection of compiled statistics; it is composed of microdata. Each record is a person, with all characteristics numerically coded. In most samples persons are organized into households, making it possible to study the characteristics of people in the context of their families or other co-residents. Because the data are individuals and not tables, researchers must use a statistical package to analyze the millions of records in the database. A data extraction system enables users to select only the samples and variables they require.

Sociometrics This link opens in a new window
Social science and health data archives plus an online data analysis system.
Roper iPoll Survey Database This link opens in a new window
Largest collection of public opinion poll data, 1935-present. Contains more than 825,000 searchable questions and over 25,000 datasets from both U.S. and international polling organizations. Topics include social issues, politics, pop culture, international affairs, science, the environment, and much more. When available, results charts, demographic crosstabs, time-series trends, and full datasets are provided for immediate download. Registration is required but free using your Princeton email. Many of iPoll's international surveys are not searchable at the question level, but downloadable as full datasets. See also Roper's Featured Projects, including their Health Poll Database and Researching Black American opinion.

General Social Suvery (GSS) 1972+
The GSS is a long running survey of social, cultural and political indicators. Probably the single best source of data on societal trends. Includes questions on presidential vote choice, party ID, interest in politics, and more. You can download the full dataset or extracts, and you can also analyze it online using Berkeley's SDA service, which also has a Quick Tables feature to generate crosstabs of major trends, like party ID by demographics.
Selected Indicators 2016-2021: Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS)
From the CDC: "Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) is an ongoing, site-specific, and population-based surveillance system. PRAMS is designed to identify groups of women and infants at high risk for health problems, to monitor changes in health status, and to measure progress towards goals in improving the health of mothers and infants."
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NOTE: to access data beyond the selected indicators, fill out the request form several months in advance of your thesis/project.

Gallup Analytics This link opens in a new window
Analyze, visualize, and export data from Gallup's U.S. Daily tracking and World Poll surveys. U.S. tracks economic, wellbeing, and political data collected daily since 2008. It can be analyzed daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annually as well as by state and Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). World Poll data covers more than 80 metrics from 160+ countries collected since 2005. Does not include access to microdata.

Data Help

Stokes Data Consultants & Stokes Viz Hub
Includes research consultations and scheduled workshops on topics such as data analysis and citation management
Data and Statistical Services
Excellent for help with choosing an appropriate methodology, running statistical tests, and interpreting results
Maps and Geospatial Information Center