Political Science: Statistics

Guide to Resources and Reference Assistance for Political Science

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Statistical Data Sources

General Social Survey from National Opinion Research Center
A dataset compiled from interviews of 40,000+ U.S. participants responding to 3.500+ different questions. Most recent data available via this link. Historical data (1972-1998) available from library computers only.
Health and Medical Care Archive (HMCA)
Empirical data collected by health care researchers, public and private agencies. Covers health care providers, costs, substance abuse, chronic health conditions, etc. Includes Abstracts, project overviews, data collection instruments, and descriptions of variables found in the dataset. Before retrieving data users will be asked to set up a "MyData" account and provide information to verify their Marquette status.
Historical Statistics of the United States
Statistical tables downloadable in Excel or CSV format. Colonial era to 21st century.
National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging (NACDA)
Dataset of studies related to aging and gerontological studies.
National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD)
Dataset of crime and justice statistics.

OECD iLibrary from OECD This link opens in a new window
Portal for publications and data of the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development).
Subscription ceased after 2020. Content through 2020 is accessible, but more recent content is not.
Includes time series data, annual reports, journals, working paper series, and more.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive (SAMHDA) This link opens in a new window
Dataset related to substance abuse and mental health.
Most datasets and documentation can be downloaded, from on campus computers, for research and personal use. When retrieving data users will be asked to create a "MyData Account" and provide information to verify their Marquette status.

Social Sciences Variables Database
Searches data across studies in the social sciences included in the Social Science Variables Database (SSVD) at the variable level.

Wisconsin Bluebooks from Univ. of Wisconsin Digital Collections This link opens in a new window
Full-text of state and federal government documents.
Constitutions of the United States and of the State of Wisconsin; rules and orders of the Senate and Assembly, and annals of the Legislature; profiles of state officials, senators, and representatives; also, statistical tables and history of state institutions.
World Bank DataBank from World Bank This link opens in a new window
Free data from the World Bank, including: World Development Indicators (WDI), Statistical Capacity Indicators, Education Statistics, Gender Statistics, and Health Nutrition and Population Statistics, and more. Annual data only, mostly 1960 - present.
World Development Indicators -- see -- World Bank DataBank

Census Data
Works best with Chrome.
Data.Census.gov is the new platform for data from Census Bureau. (American FactFinder was retired in March, 2020.)
Although this is a wonderful resource, because so much is there, expect to spend some time figuring it out. Therefore, below are links to the websites for individual surveys from the Census Bureau.
Statistical Yearbook (ECLAC)
Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLA) -the Spanish acronym is CEPAL; it is part of the UN.