Research & Controversy

We've carefully selected the following websites for their depth, currency, accuracy, and commitment to excellence. Use them to

• select a topic
• gather the latest research on current events
• find statistics on an array of topics
• research public opinion on a controversial topic

CQ Researcher — The CQ Researcher explores a single "hot" issue in the news in depth each week. Topics range from social and teen issues to environment, health, education and science and technology. The CQ Researcher's hallmark is scrupulous objectivity and balance. Every 12,000-word report is written by an experienced journalist, and features comments from experts, lawmakers and citizens on all sides of every issue. Numerous charts, graphs and sidebar articles — plus a pro-con feature, a chronology, lengthy bibliographies and a list of contacts — round out each report. Updated daily.

Note: The CQ Researcher is not a free website. The library licenses this database with a paid subscription. A print counterpart is located in Reference.

Public Agenda Online — This phenomenal resource provides extensive reports on public opinion research for 21 broad categories. The unbiased research bridges the gap between government policy and what the public really thinks about issues ranging from education to foreign policy to immigration to religion and civility in American life.

To get started, click on the "Issues Guides" button.

IDEA Debatabase — An excellent resource for student debaters and topic selection. Inside you will find arguments for and against hundreds of debating topics, written by expert debaters, judges and coaches. Also included are background summaries, links to websites of interest and recommended books, example motions and user comments.

Examples of recent topics include file-sharing, HIV compulsory disclosure to employers, banning negative political advertising, and international adoption.

Almanac of Policy Issues — Background information, archived documents, and links on major U.S. public policy issues. The website is divided into nine broad categories:

• Criminal Justice
• Culture and Society
• Economic Issues
• Education
• Environment
• Government Operations
• Health
• Social Welfare
• World: Foreign Affairs & National Security

Each category includes a list of related sites, issues, articles, and organizations.

Law & Legislation

Thomas, Legislative Information on the Internet — The definitive and official site for federal legislation.

Search for proposed federal bills and public laws by keyword or number. Recently considered initiatives are highlighted on the top level page. You can also find how congressional members voted on bills. News releases, hearing schedules, transcripts, and oversight plans are included for both House and Senate Committees.

Data & Statistics

American Fact Finder — Published by the U.S. Census Bureau, this site helps you find current population, housing, economic, and geographic data in the United States. The website is comprehensive and easy to use.

Data topics and geographic area coverage available:

• Decennial Census of Housing and Population which would provide information on population, race, ancestry, income, disability, education, employment, language, marital status, occupation, poverty status, housing characteristics and more.
  
• Economic Census which covers topics such as industry, establishments, sales, receipts, revenues, shipments, expenses, products, payroll, employees and more .
  
• American Community Survey for areas such as population, race, ancestry, income, disability, education, employment, language, marital status, occupation, poverty, housing characteristics and more.
  
• Population Estimates Program which estimates total population for selected geographic areas; estimates by age, sex, and race/ethnicity.

Results from each of these data programs are provided in the form of data sets, tables, thematic maps, and reference maps.

LookSmart's Find Articles — A vast archive of published articles that you can search for free. Constantly updated, it contains articles dating back to 1998 from more than 300 magazines and journals.

Data for Local Communities — This website gathers statistical, spatial, and descriptive information about the cities, counties and other civil, economic and natural regions of Oregon. The LocalData database lets you retrieve web-based information by topic and geography, while Additional Resources provides links to geospatial data and other organizational websites.

When searching for data on a topic, the most effective approaches are 1) "Search LocalData by Keyword", and 2) "Browse LocalData by Topic".

Topics include: Agriculture, Business, Crime, Education, Employment, Environment, Ethnic Populations, Government, Health, History and Culture, Housing, Industry and Technology, Information Management, Land Use and Development, Law, Military, Public Safety, Recreation and Tourism, Social and Family Issues, Taxes, Transportation, Utilities, Energy and Communication, and Vital Records.

Statistical Resources on the Web — If you're looking for statistics, you'll find them at University of Michigan's Statistical Resources on the Web. This award winning website has been meticulously maintaining the most current statistics in a number of categories for years. It is divided into the following twenty-five topic areas:

• Agriculture
• Business and Industry
• Comprehensive Subjects
• Consumers
• Cost-of-Living
• Demographics
• Economics
• Education
• Energy
• Environment
• Finance
• Foreign Government Data Sources
• Foreign/International Economics
• Foreign Trade
• Government Finances
• Health
• Housing
• Labor
• Military
• Politics
• Science
• Sociology
• Tourism
• Transportation
• Weather

The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press — The Center is an independent opinion research group that studies attitudes toward the press, politics and public policy issues. They are known for regular national surveys that measure public attentiveness to major news stories, and for their polling that charts trends in values and fundamental political and social attitudes. You can find full survey reports and research studies in five principal areas:

• The People & The Press - explores public attitudes about the credibility, social value and salience of the news media.
• The People, The Press & Politics - features a typology which divides the American electorate into distinct voting groups and identifies the basic values and attitudes that animate political behavior.
• The News Interest Index - measures on a regular basis how closely the public follows the major news stories and links this to views about politics and policy issues.
• America's Place in the World - a series of in-depth surveys and analyses of the public and opinion leaders on international policy in the post-Cold War era.
• Media Use - major surveys that measure the public's use of, and attitudes toward, the Internet and traditional news outlets.

Search for keywords in questionnaires or browse surveys by broad topic: business and economics, domestic and social policy, politics, global attitudes, and news media.

As of March 2005, The lastest attitude reports are entitled Global Opinion: The Spread of Anti-Americanism and A Year After Iraq War: Mistrust of America in Europe Ever Higher.

PollingReport.com — Polling Report labels itself as an independent, nonpartisan resource on trends in American public opinion. This site works best for topics currently in the news. When you select a topic, you'll find a collection of polls from newspapers and news media across the country.