USP 316 - Community Organizing & Social Change: Social Climate & Context
Why Social Climate & Context?
Researching the social and political context during the social movement you are studying will provide you with rich information about influences on a community.Through this lens you may more broadly understand political and cultural systems effecting and forming movements. This page contains links to statistical and public opinion resources that may help you form a broad view of social and political contexts.
Be sure to also look at news resources listed on the Researching the Movement page of this guide.
Public Opinion and Other Research
- Pew Charitable Trust Research LibraryMaterials Published by the Pew Charitable Trust. Contains materials published since 2004.
- IssueLabContains free access to case studies, evaluations, white papers, annual reports, issue briefs, and numerous other materials addressing the world's social problems that include aging, crime and safety, government reports, nonprofit and philanthropy, race and ethnicity, and transportation.
Data
Looking at historical data may also provide you with context for what happened prior to and after the event/movement you're researching. Did households grow? Did incomes inflate or decline? What was current public opinion?
- Proquest Statistical Abstract of the United States
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Maintains the authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic conditions of the United States. - Historical Statistics of the United States - Millennial EditionConsists of U.S. demographic and economic statistics from colonial times to the present.
- Social Explorer
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Social Explorer is an online research tool designed to access current and historical U.S. Census data and demographic information. It contains maps, profile reports, data elements, and variables. - PolicyMap
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Provides mapping, data, and analytics tools on U.S. demographics, real estate, health, jobs, education, and more topics. Mapping allows for multiple layers and editable data ranges.
