When looking for statistics, ask yourself these questions:
- Who/what would collect statistics on my topic?
Governments tend to collect many kinds of statistics as do news organizations, polling places, institutes, think tanks and researchers also collect data.
- How would statistics on my topic be made public?
You can find statistics in a number of places, both in print and online. Not every statistic is publicly available, however.
- What possible barriers might prevent me from finding statistics on my topic?
Statistics for your topic might not be public or available in a neat package. There might be language barriers. Data may simply not have been collected on your topic.
