Data sources for market and industry research - BUS 275 - Community-Engaged Entrepreneurship

Market Research

Sources of consumer information data

Government data

The U.S. government is the single largest collector of data about the U.S. economy and industries. Some agencies you will probably use data from:

U.S. Census Bureau
Bureau of Labor Statistics - especially the Consumer Expenditure Survey and the American Time Use Survey
Bureau of Economic Analysis
Small Business Administration

Much of this information is more easily accessed in:

Social Explorer This link opens in a new window
Provides quick and easy access to hundreds of thousands of built-in data indicators related to demography, economy, health, politics, environment, crime and more.

Pollsters / Public Opinion Surveys

Consumer Behavior (2021-2022) & Consumer Marketing (2020-2021)
Behavior: Presents dozens of surveys analyzing consumer spending characteristics, behavioral responses, and preferences. Easy-to-read summaries of research and other information useful for retailers, marketers, advertisers, and business consultants are presented.

Marketing: Assesses leading approaches for marketing to consumers from media advertising to social media marketing, from direct mail to email, and from customer service to experiential marketing.
PEW Research Center
Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. They conduct public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis and other data-driven social science research.

Industry Associations, Reports and Trade Publications

National Retail Federation
This link points directly to the NRF's industry research reports. Click Explore in the top right to see other areas of the NRF website.

Use advance Google searches to find industry associations: Google "industry name + association + site:.org"

ex. restaurant association site:.org

Once you find these organizations, look on their websites for sections called News, Reports, Resources, Education, etc. Some of these resources will only be available to members of the trade/industry association, but many will be available for free.

Newspapers

Reputable & specialist publications (ex. The Economist and The Wall Street Journal) will report on consumer trends and market conditions, policies and regulations affecting consumers

The Economist This link opens in a new window
The Economist is an international weekly newspaper that focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture
Please email Jazmine Wilson for login information.
Wall Street Journal This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive coverage back to 1984 is available from the world's leading financial newspaper through ProQuest.

Industry Research

Sources for industry research data

General US Economic Data

FRED
816,000 economic data time series from 107 national, international, public, and private sources, along with tools for interaction, display, and dissemination.

Industry Reports

Statista This link opens in a new window
To find industry reports, click on Reports and then Industry Reports in the top toolbar. On the page that opens, chose an industry from the drop down on the left. You may also chose a country or region from the drop down on the left.
EconLit This link opens in a new window
Indexing for more than 8,800 serials, including full-text for more than 1,100 peer-reviewed business publications. The database also includes country economic reports, detailed company profiles, market research reports, industry reports, country reports, company profiles and SWOT analyses.
Search tips