LibGuides: School of Business Library Guide: Marketing, Advertising, Consumers & Demographics

Lavery Library Research Guide

Our guide to researching topics related to marketing and consumers, including searching the Web, finding research articles, researching demographics, and finding consumer polls and surveys.

Marketing Principles & Buyer Behavior (Lavery Library Research Guide)

Researching Demographics: U.S.

Demographics are statistical data on a population, and its groups of people.

You can use these resources to find demographic information about the U.S.

PolicyMap This link opens in a new window
PolicyMap is a multi-disciplinary interactive online mapping tool that provides access to a diverse range of data, including, demographic, income and spending, housing, lending, quality of life, economy, education, and health. Use it to create maps, tables, and graphs for a variety of research purposes, including, market analysis, business planning, site analysis, demographic profiles, policy briefs, and grant applications.

Census Data
Urban Institute
From the Urban Institute’s website: the Urban Institute is the trusted source for unbiased, authoritative insights that inform consequential choices about the well-being of people and places in the United States.
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Use this site to find key stats, graphs, and maps on economic and social policy.
Data.gov
From the Data.gov website: Here you will find data, tools, and resources to conduct research, develop web and mobile applications, design data visualizations, and more.
Statistical Abstract
The Statistical Abstract of the United States, published since 1878, is the authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States.

Researching American Consumer Trends & Data

Consumer Expenditure Survey
Provides information on the buying habits of American consumers, including data on their expenditures, income, and consumer unit (families and single consumers) characteristics. Provides information on the complete range of consumers' expenditures and incomes, as well as the characteristics of those consumers.
American Customer Satisfaction Index
The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) measures customer satisfaction for ten economic sectors (e.g. retail, travel), 41 industries, hundreds of companies, and government agencies.
Census Data
The data in American FactFinder come from several government-sponsored censuses and surveys, and is a service of the United States Census Bureau. It provides breakdowns of data by industry, and is an important source for population, housing, economic and geographic information.
National Retail Federation (NRF): Consumer Trends
NRF conducts surveys of U.S. consumers to forecast consumer trends. Research U.S. consumer trends (e.g. holiday spending forecasts, back-to-school spending forecasts, etc.).
National Retail Federation (NRF): Retail Resources and Tools
Research information and streaming content on consumer and industry trends.

Finding Consumer Polls & Surveys

Gallup
Surveying consumers around the world
The Harris Poll
Data on U.S. consumers
Pew Research Center
U.S. consumer research
PollingReport.com

Finding International Demographics

United Nations Statistics Division: Demographic and Social Statistics
The United Nations Statistics Division publishes a variety of demographic and social statistics. UN Data is a collection of dozens of statistical databases, many of which include demographic statistics.
United States Census Bureau International Data Base
Accurate and timely demographic measures for populations around the world. The database includes a comprehensive set of indicators, as produced by the U.S. Census Bureau since the 1960s.
The World Bank DataBank
Data on various topics including demographic characteristics. You can generate customized tables, charts, and maps.