Understanding data vs summary statistics

ICPSR studies contain data rather than summary statistics. Not sure which you need?

Data are: (most times)

• machine-readable, 
• analyzed, 
• plottable lists or collections of information
• able to be manipulated and analyzed directly, offering flexible analysis 

Statistics are: (most times)

• tables, charts, graphs, reported numbers and percentages
• results of data analysis, giving the context of analysis and researcher interpretation

Do you need …

1. A quick number or analysis and/or summary? You may not need data but summary statistics. Consider looking outside of ICPSR.
2. Data to analyze, answering questions like “how many,” “how much,” and so forth? Data is what you need. 
3. Still not sure what you need? Check out the the decision tree below to help you decide if you need data or summary statistics.