•+Searching+for+Statistics

=**Introduction **=

====Internet users have an easy time finding well-known statistics. Statistics like the population of Canada or the most populous city in India are easy to find through cursory Google searches or Wikipedia. But researchers often need more specific statistics that come from studies and primary research projects. They also need assurance the statistics they cite come from credible sources. Locating these kinds of statistics is more challenging and often requires sophisticated databases and extensive searching. ====

There are two central methods for finding credible statistics:
 * ====**Official government databases** whose research is conducted and published by government ministries ====
 * ====**Polls and surveys** published by public opinion firms ====

 For the professional writer, choosing the right path depends on the nature of the assignment.
====Finding specific statistics that may or may not exist is a challenging task. Foremost, it is important to begin a search from a broad perspective and narrow the focus as more information is discovered: it is most effective to begin searching for a topic rather than specific statistic. For example, searching for a keyword such as divorce, unemployment, or smoking often yields more desirable results than searching directly for an end result. This is because researchers cannot be certain the specific statistic for which they're looking exists within the database they're searching. The researcher should conduct preliminary research on the topic to get a general understanding of the types of surveys governments and private agencies conduct. Professional writers should not research statistics to support their argument; they should base their argument on the statistics that exist. ====

==== It is important to keep in mind the potential biases of the organizations generating and publishing the statistics. The publications of many governments--especially those of less-developed nations--may not be subjected to ethics review boards. Meanwhile, governments of developed nations may be reluctant to publicize unflattering or controversial statistics. Because statistics are essential components of evidence within both the academic and non-academic worlds, it is the researcher's responsibility to ensure the statistics are valid and reliable. Refer to the considerations section for more information. ====

=**Using Official Government Databases**=

====Government websites provide useful databases for professional writers. Some of the studies they publish appear more geared towards academic studies, but understanding how to use them can be crucial for professional writers. Government writers depend on government statistics. Private-sector firms may ask their writers to create documents with market and economic research in mind. And the ability to find statistics for obscure countries could come in handy when writing for not-for-profit organizations.====

**The Basics**
====Government websites can be convoluted. They compile a large number of pages from different bureaucracies, ministries, agencies, and databases. While many sites, like UNdata, annotate their databases accurately and provide overarching search bars, no "how to" formula exists for all of them. They all function differently; some publish results in filterable tables, some use "yearbooks," and some embed statistics in prose. Professional writers should familiarize themselves with the government databases and websites most relevant to the nature of their work.====

**Searching International Statistics and Comparing National Statistics**
====Because government agencies do most of the research for statistics and figures, results are published largely on a national basis. Finding a hard, worldwide smoking rate may be difficult, but the smoking rate among Canadians proves as effective for a Canadian audience.====

====[|UNdata] makes a great launching pad for researching national statistics and comparing them internationally. Their website provides [|sixteen clearly described databases] intended for different functions and audiences. When searching for miscellaneous statistics on a broad social topic--for example, divorce, infant mortality, or abortion--researchers may find the "data search" bar at the top of the page useful. It searches all of UNdata's databases and compiles the results in standardized tables users can then filter to isolate their desired statistics (for example: Canada, 2004, rural male 30-39 yr.). Again, this is a good method for finding miscellaneous statistics on a broad topic. The problem with the "data search" bar is that the studies it finds often breaks the results down into subgroups. A search for "divorce" leads users to "Divorces by urban/rural residence" and "Percent divorced/separated by age group" when they may just want to know a country's hard divorce rate.====



//The "Data Search" is useful when searching generic national statistics, but not specific trends.//
====If the "Data Search engine" doesn't find any relevant studies, the next step is to read the different databases' descriptions and choose the one that seems most suited to your topic or project. Because the databases all serve different purposes for different audiences, this process functions largely on a trial-and-error basis. Additionally, the databases' websites are individually built by different agencies, so there is no standardized method of using them.====

The Monthly Bulletin of Statistics Online
====The most useful U.N. database for professional writers is [|The Monthly Bulletin of Statistics Online]. It compiles the kind census and demographic information found at the top of a country's Wikipedia page, but it's a more credible resource to site. It's also a useful tool for looking up economic statistics and some more specific social statistics. The statistics are updated monthly, and the page is easy to use; on one page, users choose a topic, table, and country, and MBSO generates the study.====

====When reading a study on MBS, be sure to click on the chart icon in the top right hand corner of the table. This opens a window with contextual information necessary to understand the study (CPI base year, population in thousands, etc.).====

Another useful tool for using MBS is the [|view data in PDF] tab located on the right-hand navigation bar.


====This feature offers users a list of studies for which different country's statistics can be compared in one table. Unfortunately, MBS only makes this feature available for a small percentage of its statistics.====

Other Recommended UN Databases
====[|Census Knowledge Base's search engine] is another UN database for demographic statistics. This website isn't as well organized as MBS is, and it requires more sorting through on the part of the researcher (keyword searches yield a list of studies for different countries in a random order). However, it is a useful website for researchers who can't find what they're desired statistics on MBS. Searching broad keywords often don't yield strong results (education, for example, finds only four studies), but a search by country leads users to new studies on that country.====

====[|Comtrade] is the UN database for international trade and industry trends. Because professional writers often work with current trends and modern stats, Comtrade's [|Analytical Tables] provides yearbooks with statistics for the last year in international trade and industry.====

Using National Databases


====National government websites are a useful tool for writers looking for national statistics that are specific to a country or that aren't measured on an international scale. Many of them function in the same way UN databases do.====

====[|Stats Canada] is a user-friendly website for Canadian statistics. Its most useful resource is [|Cansim], Canada's socioeconomic statistics database. In the past, users had to pay to use Cansim, but Stats Canada recently made the database available for free public use. Searching by subject asks readers to categorize their topic and choose the correct subject. This then leads them to different "subtopics" that contain different statistics. Stats Canada [|modified Cansim with the intent of making it user friendly]: Using the database is simply a matter of reading links and following the most logical path for your desired statistics.====

====The "browse by subject" offers a comprehensive catalog of statistics publications and is the best way to begin a search on Stats Canada. The search engine at the top of the website works well with broad keywords.====

====A good word to look for on Stats Canada's website is **census ("**an official count or survey of a population, typically recording various details of individuals" [|dictionary.com]). It leads users to hard numbers describing the Canadian population by age, gender, race, income, language, status, and other social markers.====



//Census tables are useful publications when researching national statistics. Census bureaus release demographic information on a nation's population. Their tables are also easy to read.//
====Summary tables serve a similar purpose as census tables. Researchers should not shy away from Stats Canada's publications and news releases linked to their topic, but census and summary tables are fast ways of finding statistics.====

====The [|U.S. Census Bureau] also publishes statistics on a comprehensive website. For cursory research, the [|Quick Facts] provides generic statistics on American demographics and culture. The [|Data Access Tab], found on the navigation bar at the top of the home page, is the U.S. Census Bureau's easiest route to specific numbers and statistics. It links to Censtats, the American FactFinder, and other tools professional writers working with American statistics should look at.====

====[|The UK National Statistics Publication Hub] is the U.K. equivalent to Stats Canada and The U.S. Census Bureau. Other nations' statistics websites can be found through Google, but it should be noted that many developed nations don't have one. Obviously, national statistics bureaus are scarce among third-world countries.====

====[|BC Stats] is the local statistics website for British Columbia. Starting with the [|A-Z Index] (the second rightmost link on the top navigation bar) and selecting the most appropriate item on the list proves the most efficient way of searching BC Stats. The listed "items" link to their own pages, all of which are formatted differently but all of which lead users to PDFs, charts, and tables with relevant statistics.====

Other provincial statistics websites:

 * [|Bureau of Statistics - Government of Saskatchewan]
 * [|Institut de la statistique Québec]
 * [|Prince Edward Island Statistics]
 * [|Newfoundland and Labrador Statistics Agency]
 * [|Nunavut Bureau of Statistics]
 * [|NWT Bureau of Statistics]
 * [|Yukon Bureau of Statistics]

====The provincial governments of Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick don't operate statistics websites. American states don't publish their own statistics websites either, but [|this page] on the U.S. Census Bureau's website leads users to in-depth demographic information on every state.====

For searching statistics specific to cities, towns, and municipalities, Google is likely the best launching pad. Smaller communities generally don't have statistics databases. Some larger cities do:
[|City of Vancouver Statistics]

=Non-Governmental Statistics=

====Like government statistics, professional writers should also interpret non-governmental statistics with caution. In many cases, statistical data generated by private firms have commercial purposes. However, a number of public opinion poll agencies and social trend researchers are considered credible. They publish studies useful in rhetorical writing and particularly, to private-sector professional writers.====

Gallup
====[|Gallup] is an NGO that conducts polls on current U.S. political social and economic topics, such as election rates, presidential approval ratings and consumer trends. Gallup publishes new statistics, almost daily, in articles focused on current events.==== ====Access to all statistical articles on Gallup can be obtained by using the site's navigation bar from the homepage. The navigation bar comprises categorical tabs (Politics, Economy, Well being, World, Election 2012), a site search engine, and a hot-topics bar. Clicking on a categorical tab or typing a keyword in the search bar will produce a list of relevant articles.====

====Clicking a categorical tab will direct you to the most recent articles for that category. Each page has a sidebar titled GALLUP DAILY, displaying frequently updated statistics corresponding to the category of that page. For example, the politics tab displays President Obama's approval rating for the current week. Hot topics act as keywords; for example, typing the word Egypt into the search bar will yield the same results as clicking "Egypt" on the navigation bar.====

Angus Reid Public Opinion
====[|Angus Reid] is an international public opinion research agency. Most of its studies target the U.S., the U.K., and Canada (Angus Reid originated in Canada and is headquartered in Vancouver). Its website allows users to find recent statistics on public opinion on a wide range of social issues. Angus Reid publishes all of its studies in article format (no tables and charts), but numbers are easy to find within them.====

====The fact Angus Reid's website is built for readers--not researchers--make it easy to navigate. Compared to governmental statistics websites, it's extremely user friendly. Angus Reid groups its studies by issue; users can access these "issue tags" on the drop-down navigation bar on the right-hand side of the website. Most recent publications will be posted towards the top of the issue's page. The search bar just above the "issue watch" header also works well for generic keywords. Users can also search studies by country by opening the "polls by country" drop-down button on the right-hand navigation bar, but this is more a feature for readers browsing the site than it is for professional writers.====

//Angus Reid publishes public opinion statistics on controversial issues that you can't find on government websites.//

=**Considerations**=

====A number of considerations exist when publishing statistical information as factual evidence. It is important to engage the sources and think critically about how the information is generated. Concerns for researching statistics within a professional context include the following:====
 * ====How is the data being physically gathered?====
 * ====What are the possible biases of the researchers gathering the data?====
 * ====What necessary resources would the researcher need to gather the data?====
 * ====What is the purpose of the data--is it for public viewing or for government records?====
 * ====What roadblocks or problems might the researcher have when gathering his/her data?====

====It is the publisher's responsibility to ensure the statistics are valid and reliable. Valid statistics are ones truly measuring what they intend on measuring. Consider an unemployment rate survey that discounts individuals not actively seeking employment from the unemployment percentage. Arguably, such a survey is not truly measuring unemployment rate. Reliability is the likelihood data will be reproduced in a similar survey. If survey data shows a significant drop in unemployment over a one week time period, it is likely the data is not reliable. How a researching entity defines its terms will influence its data significantly.====

====For professional writers, obtaining valid statistical information is often task of active research. Directly contacting an individual or agency may be necessary when seeking statistical information more specific than that which can be found on the internet.====