A&M-SA Research Guides: Social Problems Research Guide: Reports, Data & Statistics

Reports, Data & Statistics

Below are a few examples of resources that contain information and data on various countries. Check out the National Data page on the Data for the Social Sciences Research Guide for more examples.

data.census.gov (U.S. Census Bureau) This link opens in a new window
Offers access to data and digital content from the U.S. Census Bureau which includes statistics about population, housing, industry, and business.
Statistical Abstract of the United States (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
This authority for statistics on the social, political, and economic conditions of the U.S. provides a snapshot of America and its people with data from the Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and other Federal agencies and private organizations.

Pew Research Center
Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research
Our World in Data
Our World in Data provides 2746 charts across 297 topics. All data and charts are open access (CC-BY). Based at the University of Oxford.
Pew Hispanic Center
Founded in 2001, the Pew Hispanic Center is a nonpartisan research organization that seeks to improve understanding of the U.S. Hispanic population and to chronicle Latinos’ growing impact on the nation.
Gallup
Gallup.Com provides data-driven news based on U.S. and world polls, daily tracking and public opinion research. Topics for data include, economy, education, politics, and well-being.

Census Bureau
Offers population, housing, economic, trends, and geographic data.

Children's Bureau. Office of the Administration for Children and Families

The Children’s Bureau (CB) partners with federal, state, tribal and local agencies to improve the overall health and well-being of our nation’s children and families.
National Center for Education Statistics
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education.
National Institute of Mental Health Statistics
Statistics currently available on the prevalence, treatment, and costs of mental disorders for the population of the United States, in addition to information about possible consequences of mental illnesses, such as suicide and disability.
U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics
Statistical information on crime, criminal offenders, victims of crime, and the operation of justice systems at all levels of government.

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Child Welfare Information Gateway
Provide access to publications, websites, databases, and online learning tools for improving child welfare practice.

National Center for Health Statistics
Compiles statistical information to guide actions and policies to improve the health of U.S. citizens.
HUD User.
Provides data sets generated by the HUD Office of Policy Development and Research. Effors include the American Housing Survey, HUD median family income limits, and microdata from research initiatives such as housing discrimination, the HUD-insured multifamily housing stock, and the public housing population.
Compendium of National Juvenile Justice Data Sets
Maintains data sets about juvenile offending, victimization, and contact with the juvenile justice system. Data sources include official records and self-report data from surveys

Data.gov
The home of the U.S. Government’s open data.
USA.gov
Find data about the U.S., such as maps and population, demographic, and economic data.
GSS Data Explorer
The General Social Survey (GSS) is a project of NORC at the University of Chicago, with principal funding from the National Science Foundation. Since 1972, the GSS has been monitoring societal change and studying the growing complexity of American society.

The GSS is a publicly available national resource, and is one of the most frequently analyzed sources of information in the social sciences. GSS Data Explorer is one of many ways that NORC supports the dissemination of GSS data for use by legislators, policymakers, researchers, educators and others.
National Equity Atlas
The Atlas presents data on changing demographics, racial inclusion, and the economic benefits of equity by region, state, and nationwide.

Cross National Time Series Data Archive (Databanks International) This link opens in a new window
The Cross National Time Series Data Archive is a comprehensive resource that provides historical data on a wide range of socio-economic and political indicators for various countries. Established to support academic research, the archive includes time series data that span over two centuries, offering insights into global patterns and trends. Researchers use this data to analyze and compare national developments across different time periods and regions, making it a valuable tool for studies in political science, economics, sociology, and history.

Below are a few examples of resources that contain information and data on various countries. Check out the International Data page on the Data for the Social Sciences Research Guide for more examples.

OECD
OECD has been a valuable source of policy analysis and internationally comparable statistical, economic and social data.
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945. It is currently made up of 193 Member States. The mission and work of the United Nations are guided by the purposes and principles contained in its founding Charter.
United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. In doing so, UN Member States took an historic step in accelerating the Organization’s goals on gender equality and the empowerment of women.
This site has reports on women's issues.
UN Data
Data on this site is from The United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). "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."
UN- Global Issues
This website offers an overview of some of these issues in depth, and links to other resources where you can get additional information.
CIA World Factbook
The World Factbook provides information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 267 world entities

CountryWatch (CountryWatch) This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Provides demographic, political, economic, business, cultural, and environmental subject matter on countries, as well as information on public and private sector organizations with overseas operations and global interests.

Google Search Tips

Most websites will not provide free current & peer reviewed research studies. However, you can use the web to find credible data and statistics as well as many non-profit/ policy/ think-tank papers.

To quickly search the web for these types of resources, enter your search terms followed by a colon and the domain. For instance, if you are researching childhood obesity and looking for government data, try a Google search like this: childhood obesity statistics:.gov

You can also use any URL suffix to limit to that type of website.

:.edu (searches educational institution sites)
:.org (searches nonprofits, open source projects and possible personal sites)

Generally, you should use library databases to find your articles, and the web to supplement your arguments with statistics, demographic information, and reports.