Finding, Evaluating, and Using Numeric Data

1
Finding, Evaluating, and Using Numeric Data

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• IMS 201, Statistical Literacy
• Electronic Data Center

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What are social science statistical data files?

• Numeric data produced through polls, surveys,
  censuses, administrative records, commerce,
  health administration, etc.
• Vital resources for research and education in a
  variety of disciplines concerned with advancing
  the study of individuals and society.
• For decades, these data have been encoded,
  stored, and used primarily in digital form.

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Data is everywhere

• Watch this video clip at
• http//elearn.lib.muohio.edu/jyu/datalit/ims201c
  d.mov
• Write down three keywords that you hear from the
  video

4
Quick facts

• A single number or a handful of numbers
• Use
• Transcribe or print
• May want to put into spreadsheet
• May want to generate a simple map
• Process find source, locate data items,
  interpret adequacy, work through selection
  process. Little emphasis on use.
• Example Roper Center for Public Opinion Research
• http//www.ropercenter.uconn.edu

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Summary data

• A profile, a snapshot
• Use
• Summary statistics, map or graph
• Integrate multiple sources
• Composites
• Comparisons
• Process find sources, locate data items,
  interpret adequacy, work through selection
  process, integrate potentially disparate sources.
• Example American FactFinder by U.S. Census
  Bureau
• http//factfinder.census.gov/

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Finding Getting Using

• Sometimes those three components are very
  integrated sometimes those three components are
  very separate

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Finding data

• Overview of study-level and question-level
  searching
• May combine both types of searches while looking
  for resources.
• Tour of best catalogs and Web sites for finding
  data
• There is no single place to search for data

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Question-level searching

• Compare public opinion of George H.W. Bushs
  during the Gulf War and George W. Bushs during
  the war on terrorism.
• What do people think is the most important issue
  facing the country?
• Will you vote for Bush or Kerry?

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Study-level searching

• I want the most recent data that describes
  characteristics of prison inmates in the U.S.
• What do people in EU countries think about the
  European Union?
• I need the March Current Population Survey, as
  many as possible.

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Whats needed to evaluate and use data

• Data
• Software to manipulate the data
• Metadata / codebook
• Sometimes those three components are very
  integrated sometimes those three components are
  very separate

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Evaluating and using data

• Metadata and codebooks
• Data quality issues
• Review of options for using data

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Codebook

• Information on structure, contents, and layout of
  data file.
• Column locations and widths for each variable
• Definitions of different records types
• Response codes for each variable
• Codes use to indicate non-response and missing
  data
• Exact questions and skip patterns used in a
  survey
• Other indications of the content of each variable
• Many also include frequencies of response
• (Adapted from Glossary of Social Science Computer
  and Social Science Data Terms, http//odwin.ucsd.e
  du/glossary)

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Overview of using data

• Users level of expertise
• Institutional support for statistical analysis
• Keep track of where data came from!
• example

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Statistical Information Resources at Miami

• LexisNexis Statistical
• Polls Surveys Question Database
• Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center

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Easy-to-use data on the Web

• Perhaps found through Google or list of Internet
  sites
• Example Census American FactFinder, White house
  Social Statistics Briefing Room
• Many different types of data on the Web
• Some include tools for manipulating data
• Others simply allow downloading for local
  manipulation

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Online Exercises

• http//elearn.lib.muohio.edu/jyu/datalit/exercise
  s.htm
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  linked
• at the bottom of the exercise page