7. Data Archives
Data archives are respositories for micro-level data. Micro-level data files are the numerically-coded results of individual responses to such files as the census questionnaires, public opinion surveys, etc. You have much more flexibility to work with the data and run statistical analyses on the extracted data. The data are in an unanalyzed, raw format of columns and rows, usually in ASCII format but not always. Some raw data files are accompanied by files in SPSS, SAS or other statistical software format for easier use in these packages. If you are working with only the raw data, you must consult the data documentation (codebook) and write a small program or use an extraction program to have the computer "read" in the data into a useable format. Harvard affiliates have access to the data in the following archives.
IQSS Dataverse Network
IQSS Dataverse provides access to Harvard's Murray Research Archive, as well as these other large data collections: ICPSR, NARA (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration), Roper Center, and The DataWeb (U.S. Census Bureau). Numeric Data Services and other smaller collections can also be searched. Data can be downloaded if permissions allow and in some cases subset for analysis.
Roper
Center for Public Opinion Research
The Roper Center for Public Opinion provides access to summary-level (aggregate) and micro-level (raw) public opinion data. While the data collection focuses strongly on United States public opinion, it also includes growing collections of (micro-level) European, Latin American (Latin American Databank) and Japanese (JPOLL) polls. The data archive (micro-level data) is searchable by keyword, date, and survey organization. The iPOLL database (summary-level data) is searchable by keyword, subject /or survey organization and survey sponsor; it provides question and response level data. The Roper Center resources require users to set up individual accounts in order to gain access to the data.
Inter-University
Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)
This is the largest machine-readable social science data archive in the world; based
at the University of Michigan. Categories of datasets include community and urban studies; economic behavior and attitudes; government structures, policies and capabilities; social indicators; and much more. The ICPSR datsets available at Harvard
are archived in the IQSS DataVerse Network.
