Guide purpose
This guide provides support for those looking for social science data. It links to:
- Key Social Science Data Portals that hold data produced and made public by social scientists and governmental agencies
- Data and Statistical Clearinghouses that describe datasets, and often make available data and statistics from a variety of researchers, including government and non-governmental organizations.
- Census, Surveys and Polls that provide population and opinion data used by are used in the social sciences.
For a more comprehensive view of data produced by Government and International Organizations, see the Government Information guide.
If you need assistance with social sciences data, I am happy to help, or get you in contact with those who can. Feel free to contact me.
Key Social Science Data Portals
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ICPSR Social Science Data HoldingsInter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) is the world's largest archive of digital social science data. ICPSR acquires, preserves, and distributes original research data and data from various government agencies.
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Harvard DataverseThe Harvard Dataverse Network, housed at the Institute for Quantitative Social Science (IQSS) at Harvard, hosts a large collection of social science research
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The Qualitative Data Repository (QDR)The Qualitative Data Repository (QDR) is a dedicated archive for storing and sharing digital data (and accompanying documentation) generated or collected through qualitative and multi-method research in the social sciences.
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CESSDA: Consortium of European Social Science Data ArchiveThe CESSDA Data Catalog contains descriptions of more than 30,000 data collections, representing 20 European countries.
Data and Statistics Discovery Tools
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Statistical Abstract of the U.S. (via ProQuest)he Statistical Abstract of the United States is a one-volume, comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States. Use the Abstract as a convenient volume for statistical reference, and as a guide to sources of more information both in print and on the Web. The government-published Statistical Abstract of the U.S. was discontinued following publication of the 2012 edition.
Coverage: 2013-
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Statistical Abstracts of the WorldThis resource aggregates the statistical abstracts of more than 50 countries and makes the content available through a single-search interface. These statistical abstracts are generally issued by the national statistical offices of foreign governments and contain country-level data not easily found elsewhere. Also includes data from the United Nations Demographic Yearbook, World Development Indicators, and Key Figures on Europe.
[Coverage: 1878-2012] -
EurostatEurostat is the statistical agency for the European Union. The site provides access to data (monthly, quarterly, and annual data) from 1960 onwards. Topics include: general statistics, regional statistics, economy and finance, agriculture and fisheries, environment and energy, population and social conditions, services and transport and intra- extra- EU trade statistics. Coverage is Europe.
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ProQuest Statistical InsightProQuest Statistical Insight combines Index and abstract records previously available from print indexes: American Statistics Index (ASI) from 1973, and Index to International Statistics (IIS)from 1980. ProQuest Statistical Insight enables searching indexes and tables for statistics produced by the U.S. government and major international organizations. The database includes some statistical tables as well as abstracts, or summaries, of statistical publications. The Library has many of the publications indexed in print or electronic format.
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DataPlanet (formerly: Sage Stats and U.S. Political Stats)DataPlanet is a collection of U.S. and international datasets sourced from over 90 governmental, commercial, and private organizations. Data Planet allows you to search and browse billions of datasets, compare and contrast variables of interest, and create customized exportable charts and tables. Each dataset also has a detailed description, including information about its source organization and update frequency. DataPlanet platform provides durable web links and DOIs to make it easier to revisit datasets. Datasets cover: agriculture and food; banking, finance, and insurance; criminal justice and law enforcement; education; energy resources and industries; government and politics; health and vital statistics; housing and construction; industry, business, and commerce; international relations and trade; labor and employment; military and defense; natural resources and environment; population and income; prices, consumption, and cost of living; and transportation and traffic. In August 2021, the databases formerly known as Sage Stats and U.S. Political Stats became DataPlanet.
[Coverage: 19th century – present, most datasets are from the past few decades] -
StatistaStatista is a statistics portal that provides access to data on many different topics from more than 18,000 different sources. Topics include agriculture, advertising, health, hospitality, consumer goods, and much more. Sources are government agencies and business sources. The focus on current (not historical) statistics. Data is downloadable to Excel, PowerPoint, and JPG.
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Google Public Data ExplorerThe Google Public Data Explorer makes large datasets easy to explore, visualize and communicate. The Data Explorer features data sets from the World Bank, the OECD, Eurostat, the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics, and the California Department of Education.
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Google Dataset SearchDataset Search enables users to find datasets stored across the Web through a simple keyword search. The tool surfaces information about datasets hosted in thousands of repositories across the Web, making these datasets universally accessible and useful.
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‘Awesome’ Public Data Sets (GitHub)This list of a topic-centric public data sources compiled by practitioners. They are collected and tidied from blogs, answers, and user responses. Most of the data sets listed below are free, however, some are not.
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Open Data LibraryThe Open Data Library (OpenDaL) is a dataset search engine. It enables you to search more than 500 data portals in one place, and includes data from government, community and research data portals from all over the world and across disciplines. In addition to keyword based search, you can filter search results by dataset properties, such as data format, location, subject, data type or temporal coverage.
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re3data.org Registry of Research Data Repositoriesre3data.org is a global registry of research data repositories that covers research data repositories from different academic disciplines. It presents repositories for the permanent storage and access of data sets to researchers, funding bodies, publishers and scholarly institutions. re3data.org promotes a culture of sharing, increased access and better visibility of research data. The registry went live in autumn 2012 and is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).
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DryadDryad is an open-source, research data curation and publication platform. UC Davis is a proud partner of Dryad and offers Dryad as a free service for all UC Davis researchers to publish and archive their data. Datasets published in Dryad receive a citation and can be versioned at any time. Dryad is integrated with hundreds of journals and is an easy way to both publish data and comply with funder and publisher mandates.
Census, Surveys, and Polls
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data.census.govData.census.gov is the new platform to access demographic and economic data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The vision for data.census.gov is to make data available from one centralized place so that data users spend less time searching for data and content, and more time using it.
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U.S. Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is responsible for the Census of Population and Housing. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as a leading source of data about America’s people and economy.
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Social ExplorerSocial Explorer provides quick and easy access to current and historical census data and related demographic information. NOTE: If you have difficulty connecting to the licensed site, please clear your browser cache and data.
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PolicyMapPolicyMap is a fully web-based online data and mapping application that gives you access to over 15,000 indicators related to demographics, housing, crime, mortgages, health, jobs and more. Data is available at all common geographies (address, block group, census tract, zip code, county, city, state, MSA) as well as unique geographies like school districts and political boundaries. Data comes from both public and proprietary sources
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Roper Center for Public Opinion ResearchThe Roper Center for Public Opinion Research is an archive of social science data, specializing in data from public opinion surveys. The Roper Center holds polling data ranging from the 1930s to the present and over 22,000 datasets adding hundreds more each year.
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General Social Survey Data ExplorerMonitors societal change and studies growing complexity of American society by collecting data for comparative analysis used by legislators, policymakers, researchers, educators and others. National Opinion Research Center's principal funding from the National Science Foundation. Tools available to explore and save variables from comprehensive data sets, facilitate online analysis before extracting for use in statistical software package.
[Coverage: 1972-present] -
Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS)The Integrated Public Use Microdata Series consists of microdata samples from United States (IPUMS-USA) and international (IPUMS-International) census records. The records are converted into a consistent format and made available to researchers through a web-based data dissemination system.
[Coverage: 1850-present]
Related Guides
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Maps, Mapping, and GISA guide to the resources and services for those studying and applying spatial information. These include physical map collections, GIS resources and tools and services, and a vast array of geographic and cartographic material across the UC Davis Library.
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Polls And Polling InformationThis subject guide lists links to prominent surveys and polls used in social science and related research.
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EconomicsHere are the most comprehensive and significant broad disciplinary article indexing databases for international (but English-language-centric) economics scholarship.
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SociologyThis subject guide for sociology highlights key resources for the discovery of research literature in sociology and related fields. If you have questions about the use of these databases, research in cultural studies or social sciences or if you need support with social sciences data, I am happy to help, or get you in contact with those who can. Feel free to contact me via email, michalski@ucdavis.edu or make an appointment https://calendly.com/michalski-1/research-librarian-consultation.
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Research Data ServicesThe Library provides services, resources, and assistance to those working with data across the research life-cycle.
Visit the Research Data Services guide to learn how we can help with:
*Data Discovery and Selection
*Data Extraction, Formatting, and Visualization
*Data Management, Publishing, and Preservation
*Health Science Data at the Blaisdell Medical Library
For assistance contact: dataserv@ucdavis.edu -
Managing Your Data: Project ChecklistThis Data Management checklist and resource guide will help you set up and maintain robust data management practices and systems through the full life of a project. For additional assistance, contact dataserv@ucdavis.edu
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Data Management, Publishing, and PreservationUC Davis Library offers support for Data Management and the development of Data Management Plans. Learn how to organize, preserve, share and publish your research data, and extend the impact of your work.