Finding and Evaluating Statistics 

The purpose of this written assignment is to give you practice in 1) finding statistics on the Web, using one or more Web sites that provide links to reliable sources of statistical information, and 2) evaluating the statistics you find using the criteria from the reading, Finding, Locating and Evaluating Statistics.

1.  The sites listed below are directories by subject to sources of statistical information on the Web.
Link to one of the following sites on the Web:
University of Michigan.  http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/stats.html 
Fedstats:  http://www.fedstats.gov
United Nations, Statistics Division, Social Indicators  http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/socind/default.htm

Use these sites to answer the questions below.  Browse the resources on these websites to answer the questions below.
Give the URL for the site you would use for statistics on smoking.
Give the URL for the site you would use to find information about your home state?  What's the percent change in population for your home state between 1990 and 2000?
Use the United Nations Social Indicators site to find information about illiteracy in countries other than the U.S.?  What country has data from 2002?  What country has the highest illiteracy rate (%) for women?  When was that data collected?  

2.  Compare the statistics on the two of the web sites listed below.
Instructors:  These may work or you can choose other pairs
One possible pairing:
College Drinking:  Changing the Culture http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/  Choose the link to Just The Facts.
Youth, Alcohol and Other Drugs, http://www.ncadd.org/facts/youthalc.html

Another set to choose from:
Who is Homeless?  http://www.nationalhomeless.org/who.html
Who is Homeless?http://www.nrchmi.samhsa.gov/facts/facts_question_2.asp
Facts and Statistics on Homelessness http://www.freedonation.com/homeless/homeless_stats.php3

Evaluate the data you find by answering the following questions:

Who collected the data?
Can you find any information about who the person or agency is that collected the data?  Hint:  are there any links from the listed source of information?  Is it a government source?  A company source?  An individual?
Is it timely/recent information?  What date(s) are covered?
As you look at the data, are there questions you have that aren't answered by the data you see?
Is there any information about how the data was gathered?  Was the data taken from a survey of three people or many people?  

[adapted from The Research Process:  Books & Beyond (2nd ed) by Myrtle Bolner and Gayle Poirier (ZA 3075 .B66 2002)]