Research Guides: *Politics: Data & Statistics

Charts & Graphs

Consider adding charts and graphs to give your research visual conteext.

Data Analysis Guide - Brandeis
Guide to data analysis software and sources from Margarita Corral, Data Analysis Specialist at Brandeis.

These sources are great places to look for data sets and statistics on domestic issues.

American Fact Finder
Snapshots of statistical data for the US, Puerto Rico, and the Island Areas. Data is collected from the Census and surveys that are conducted in non-Census years.
Bureau of Economic Analysis BEA
From the Department of Commerce. collects information on economic indicators, national and international trade, accounts, and industry.
Bureau of Justice Statistics
The BJS collects, analyzes, publishes, and disseminates information on crime, criminal offenders, victims of crime, and the operation of justice systems at all levels of government.
Bureau of Labor Statistics BLS
Measures labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the economy.
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 in the U.S. and other nations.
National Center for Health Statistics NCHS
From the Centers for Disease Control, provides statistical information that guides actions and policies to improve the health of the American people.
Data Lumos
From ICPSR , Data Lumos is an archive for valuable government data resources requested and/or submitted by the public. Open source, no login required.
Data.gov
Find datasets from the US Government on a number of topics ranging from Agriculture to Science & Technology.

Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) This link opens in a new window
ICPSR is the world's largest collection of digital social science data. Find qualitative and quantitative datasets, accompanying codebooks, publication lists and more. Formats include SPSS, Stata and Excel. Access to this resource from off campus requires that users initially register for an account while on campus.

Working/studying remotely? Request access to ICPSR data and resources by contacting icpsr-help@umich.edu. When you do, please let them know that you are a current student, faculty, or staff member at Brandeis University, and be sure to use your @brandeis.edu email address.
Social Explorer This link opens in a new window
Create maps and reports to illustrate, analyze, and understand demography and social change. Data sets include the US Census from 1790-2010, the American Community Survey, the Religious Congregations and Membership Survey, carbon emissions data from the Vulcan Project, and more.

USDA Economic Research Service ERS
The ERS mission is to inform and enhance public and private decision making on economic and policy issues related to agriculture, food, the environment, and rural development.
US Census
Interactive tools, maps, datasets, reports, and other information from the US Census.

Datasets and Statsitical information from international sources.

African Development Bank Group
Produces statistical data on economic conditions, health issues, and social situations in countries throughout Africa
Afristat
Data Portal for Afristat.
CIA World FactBook
Provides information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 267 world entities.
Eurostat
Statistics from the European Union (EU). Topics include economics, population, services, industry, agriculture, the environment, energy, science, and technology.

Finaeon (formerly Global Financial Data) (GFD) This link opens in a new window
NOTE: Need to register for an account using your Brandeis.edu email and login on GFD/Finaeon in order to use the database. Collection of financial and economic data provided in ASCII or Excel format. Data includes: long-term historical indices on stock markets; Total Return data on stocks, bonds, and bills; interest rates; exchange rates; inflation rates; bond indices; commodity indices and prices; consumer price indices; gross domestic product; individual stocks; sector indices; treasury bill yields; wholesale price indices; and unemployment rates covering over 200 countries.

International Statistical Activities | US Census
The U.S. Census Bureau maintains a list of national statistical agencies of countries around the world, as well as some international statistical initiatives.
NationMaster
Allows side-by-side comparison of statistics from multiple countries.
UN Data
Data and statistics from the United Nations.
United Nations Monthly Bulletin
Current economic and social statistics for more than 200 countries and territories of the world.
UN Statistics Databases
A list of subject-specific statistics databases available from the United Nations.
World DataBank
Data and Statistics from the World Bank.

GIS, or geographical information systems, is a way to display data using maps.