Abstract
Census microdata provide individual-level information describing the characteristics of persons, families, and households. Compared with conventional aggregate-level census data, microdata offer several advantages, including the ability to customize tabulations, construct new variables based on combining characteristics of family members, conduct individual-level multivariate analysis, and make data comparable across time and space. Limitations of census microdata vary depending on the source, but include suppression of detailed information to ensure confidentiality, limited sample size, and the need for specialized statistical software. Census microdata have existed since the 1960s, but vast new data sets are becoming available for social science research.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences: Second Edition |
| Publisher | Elsevier Inc. |
| Pages | 284-289 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9780080970875 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9780080970868 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 26 2015 |
Keywords
- Big data
- Census
- Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS)
- Microdata
- North Atlantic Population Project (NAPP)
- Population data
- Public Use Microdata Files (PUMF)
- Samples of Anonymized Records (SARs)