The Social Sciences Program maintains a rich collection of national and international public opinion data in many different formats including indexes, periodicals, and websites. This guide provides a description, time span, location and call number of each resource. It also notes whether the resource provides summary-level data or micro-level data.
Web-Based Resources/HOLLIS E-Resources
Summary-Level Data:
Summary-level data are published data points in either print or electronic
format. You would use summary-level data if you were looking for a quick
statistic such as a Presidential Approval Rating.
The
Odum Institute (1960-present)
This public opinion database maintained by the University of North Carolina
allows for keyword and string searching. The database searches the Harris
Poll, Carolina Poll, Southern Poll, State Poll and Knight Foundation Community
Poll collections.
Pollingreport.com
(1985 - present)
This resource provides summary-level highlights from recent national polls,
and includes some historical comparative data. The main subjects include
politics and policy, business/economics, and the American scene. Users
can also select data from the featured topics or search using the site’s
search engine.
Polling
the Nations (1986-present)
Polling the Nations is a comprehensive compilation of public opinion surveys,
containing the full text of more than 350,000 questions and responses
from 14,000 surveys conducted by 700 polling organizations from 1986 to
the present in the United States and more than 80 other countries. Each
record provides a question asked and the responses given. Also included
are the polling organization responsible for the poll, the sample size
and the date the poll was released.
Poll Track (1997-present)
Poll Track is a component of the National Journal and covers public opinion polls specific to US politics, elections and public policy. The information is divided into five main categories: today's polls, national polls, key issues, national figures and campaigns. It is possible to search the archives back to 1997.
Roper
Center- Presidential Approval Ratings (1937-present)
This resource provides presidential approval ratings for President Roosevelt-
President Bush. Data can be transferred to MS Excel format (cut and paste).
Lexis-Nexis
Statistical
Use the keywords “polls” and/or “surveys” along with the subject keywords for your search.
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.
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)
Largest machine-readable social science data archive in the world; based
at the University of Michigan. The collection contains public opinion
data including United States election exit polls.
Indexes
American Public Opinion Index (1981 – 2000)
An annual publication that covers public opinion surveys and polls at local, state and national levels. Includes polls conducted by ABC, NBC, CBS, Roper, Gallup and Harris.
Gallup Poll Cumulative Index: Public Opinion (1935-1997)
This resource consists of the public's response to major news events, such as the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and the Watergate break-in; America's support for the President, political candidates and political parties; attitudes concerning enduring societal issues such as capital punishment and abortion; lifestyle trends; and the public's mood over the years about the nation, its economy, and aspects of their own lives, including their jobs and their personal finances. (Source: http://www.gallup.com/publications/GPCI.asp)
Index to International Public Opinion (1978-1999)
Similar in scope to Gallup Poll, but with an international focus.
Periodicals
These titles are useful for browsing public opinion polls and may contain some analysis in the text.
Public Opinion Quarterly (1937 – present)
This is also a networked
resource. Articles and poll results from the American Association for Public Opinion Research.
World Opinion Update (1979 – present)
Current poll results from various agencies around the world.
Gallup Report (1981-1989)
Articles and poll results from Gallup.
Gallup Poll Monthly (1989 –present)
This is also a networked resource. Articles and current poll results from Gallup.
Current Opinion (1973-1978)
Articles and poll results from the Roper Center for Public Opinion. Name change in 1978; new title is Public Opinion.
Public Opinion (1978-1989)
Articles and poll results from the American Enterprise Institute.
Public Perspective: a Roper Center review of public opinion and
polling (1989 – 2003)
This is also a networked
resource. Articles and current poll results from the Roper Center for Public Opinion.
Harris Survey Yearbook of Public Opinion (1970-1973)
Annual compendium of results from Harris polls.
Harris Poll (1988- present)
Articles and current poll results from the Harris Poll.
Polling Report (1985 - present)
Articles and current poll results, with an emphasis on issues relating to politics and government.
Popular Surveys
General Social Survey (NORC)
Available through the IQSS Dataverse Network. Search by title.
One of the nation's longest running surveys of social, cultural and political
indicators.
User guide: The NORC general social survey: a user’s guide / James
A. Davis, Tom W. Smith. Newbury Park, CA.: Sage Publications, c.1992.
International
Social Survey Programme
Available through the IQSS Dataverse Network. Search by title.
Cross-national collaboration on social science surveys in 34 countries.
Latinobarómetro
The Latinobarómetro is an annual survey conducted in 18 Latin American countries. The survey covers a wide range of topics including the economy, politics, social policies, and the environment. Micro-level data is available from 1995-2005 (excluding 1999) to Harvard affiliates on CD-Rom and through the Numeric Data Services Dataverse.
National Election
Studies (1950 – present)
Also available through the IQSS Dataverse Network. Search by title.
Poll results on issues ranging from voting, public opinion, and political
participation in the United States.
World Values
Survey
National surveys of individuals’ values and beliefs in more than
65 societies; builds on the European Values Surveys, first carried out
in 1981. The complete aggregate dataset covers the four waves of the Values
Surveys and is available in several formats. Registration is required
to download the data.
What Arabs Think: Values, Beliefs and Concerns
Zogby International polled 3,800 Arab adults in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Kuwait, Morocco, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Israel regarding their beliefs, values and concerns. The questionnaire, raw data, frequencies, cross-tabulations and a summary are available to Harvard affiliates on CD-Rom and through the Numeric Data Services Dataverse.