Communication & Mass Media Resources
What are statistics and data?
When doing research in any communications subject area, you may find it helpful to refer to data or statistics to support your arguments or provide you with more context. But what exactly are data and statistics? To start, it's important to note that these terms mean different things and are not meant to be used interchangeably. While data can be considered unique pieces of information that can be analyzed, statistics are often the result of doing that analysis to answer questions of "why" or "how."
To learn more about data and how to find it, check out our Finding Data research guide.
You can also watch the following video learn more about different types of data and how they might be used:
Statistics and Data Sets
There is a wide variety of statistics and data that you might find useful depending on the focus of your research. The following resources link you to a variety of data and statistical information within the context of the United States. These are just a starting point for finding relevant data and statistics for communications research, so be sure to check out the Finding Data research guide for more resources.
- Data.govData.gov is the home of the US government’s open data. You can find Federal, state and local data, tools, and resources to conduct research, build apps, design data visualizations, and more.
- Sage Data This link opens in a new windowDatasets cover a wide range of subjects – including business, finance, banking, economics, sociology, political science, demography, agriculture, education, international studies, criminal justice, housing and construction, labor and employment, energy resources and industries, and more. Sources include public, private/commercial, and nongovernmental organizations.
- ICPSR This link opens in a new windowMust first create a login to access off-campus
ICPSR offers more than 500,000 digital files containing social science research data. Disciplines represented include political science, sociology, demography, economics, history, gerontology, criminal justice, public health, foreign policy, terrorism, health and medical care, early education, education, racial and ethnic minorities, psychology, law, substance abuse and mental health, and more. - SimplyAnalytics This link opens in a new windowSimplyAnalytics, a web-based mapping, analytics, and data visualization application with 100,000+ data variables, including: demographic data from the US Census and the American Community Survey (ACS), consumer spending data from the Consumer Expenditure Survey (CEX), 2020 election data, and D&B's points-of-interest business file providing detailed information on over 5 million businesses. Additionally, users have access to the premium MRI-SimmonsLOCAL consumer behavior dataset, which includes data on over 8,000 brands. Other premium datasets include the PRIZM Premier, ConneXions and P$YCLE segmentation systems providing data on lifestyle characteristics, tech usage and finances, respectively. The Retail Market Power and Consumer Buying Power datasets enable researchers to understand retail spending, demand, and potential for spending across hundreds of expenditures and stores. UH also subscribes to premium health survey data. Data is available down to the census block group level for most variables.
- Social Explorer This link opens in a new windowProvides quick and easy access to current and historical census data and demographic information. Note Requires registering a free account once you access the database.
