What Are They Thinking? New Findings from Political Behavior Research

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Resources for data-driven research on the political behavior of the mass public (especially the voting public). Topics include political preferences, knowledge, socialization, learning, and engagement. Most datasets are public opinion surveys. Also see voting & elections (for voter turnout and vote choice) and migration & citizenship (for immigration policy preferences).

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Teach Political Analysis

Theory & Concepts:
The Essentials of Political Analysis, 6th Edition. Classic introductory text, clear writing, helps students learn, great ancillaries. More info.

Companions for SPSS, Stata, Excel & R. Practice with software of your choice.

MORE FOR TEACHERS: Sample Course Syllabi featuring our textbooks, varied software, with/without paper assignments

Review Terms for 5 Minutes - Pick chapters or just press play for quick study

Run Live R Demos in Browser - Excellent for online teaching

Links to More Resources for Teaching Political Analysis

Watch & Learn


Pew Research Center
Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world.


Getting Started with RStudio
By James Scott (18:11)

MORE VIDEOS: Lecture Videos for The Essentials of Political Analysis

Learn How-To Do It with Video Tutorials for R, Stata, SPSS, and Excel

More Q. Than A.

Investigating the Economic Value of a Law School Education: A Regression Analysis Approach
Researching the real economic value of a law school education offers valuable insights into whether...

MORE QUESTIONS: A Critical Analysis of the Militia Perspective on the Right to Bear Arms in the Second Amendment

Blogs, Podcasts & Journals

Int'l J. of Public Opinion Research: .A source of informed analysis and comment for both professionals and academics.

kai arzheimer: .Blogging about politics, parties, and voting behaviour since 2008. Focus on the Far Right. Also: data, methods, and the perils of peer review.

Public Opinion Quarterly: .Publishes important theoretical contributions to opinion and communication research, analyses of current public opinion, and investigations of methodological issues involved in survey validity.

Political Communication: .Features research at the intersection of politics and communication.

Political Psychology: .The journal of the International Society of Political Psychology, dedicated to the analysis of psychological and political processes.

See All Political Science Podcasts

Pol. Behavior Data Sites

Religious Data: Association of Religion Data Archives: .More than public opinion surveys, but public opinion surveys are biggest category of religious data

World Values Survey: .The WVS consists of nationally representative surveys conducted in almost 100 countries which contain almost 90 percent of the world

UK Household Longitudinal Study: .Understanding Society is the largest longitudinal household panel study of its kind and provides vital evidence on life changes and stability. See data and documentation.

State of First Amendment Surveys: .Examines public attitudes toward freedom of speech, press, religion and the rights of assembly and petition.

American National Election Studies: .ANES produces high quality data from its own surveys on voting, public opinion, and political participation; see Data Center for downloads

See All Public Opinion Surveys Data Sites

New Articles with Replication Data

Attacking the Weak or the Strong? An Experiment on the Targets of Parochial AltruismSimon Varaine, +3 more authors (2023) POLBEH, more info.