Guides: Entrepreneurship Resources @ Pitt: Consumer Research

Overview

Search Tips:

Use a combination of primary resources (surveys, interviews etc.) and secondary resources (reports, articles, and statistics) to help answer "who would want my product/service"
Be sure to define your target market geographically and by the market's population
You'll likely need to use a variety of sources, from government websites to Pitt databases and talking with experts.

Finding Demographic Information

view of the 2000 US census results on peoples ancestry, by county. Demographics or demographic data are the characteristics of a human population as used in government, marketing or opinion research, or the demographic profiles used in such research.

Commonly used demographics include sex, race, age, income, disabilities, mobility (in terms of travel time to work or number of vehicles available), educational attainment, home ownership, employment status, and even location.

Distributions of values within a demographic variable, and across households, are both of interest, as well as trends over time.

Image by the U.S. Census Bureau, on Wikimedia Commons.

The below websites and databases are great starting points for basic U.S. demographic data.

Pitt Databases

Social Explorer This link opens in a new window
Social Explorer is mainly an interactive map of demographic information drawn from the US Census. Users can examine geographic areas while selecting the type of data to be shown, such as population density or income level. Note: Creation of a Personal Account is required to fully access all Social Explorer features.

Web Resources

American Census Data This link opens in a new window
Primary way to access Census Bureau data, including releases from the 2018 American Community Survey, 2017 Economic Census, 2020 Census and more. Use data.census.gov to view, print, and download statistics about population, housing, industry, and business.

U.S. Census' Quick Facts
QuickFacts provides easy access quick demographics for all states and counties, and for cities and towns with more than 5,000 people.

Pitt Databases

Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window
Business Source Complete provides full-text business journals and hundreds of scholarly, peer-reviewed journals covering all aspects of business; marketing, management, economics, finance, accounting, international business and more.
Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) This link opens in a new window
EIU provides data and forecasts about political, economic, and business climates of various regions and up to 200 countries, as well as related news, analysis, and risk factor assessments. Coverage includes online versions of the Country Commerce, Country Finance, the Business Briefings series. Includes access to EIU Viewpoint that provides Global, regional and country-level analysis for nearly 200
markets.
CountryWatch This link opens in a new window
CountryWatch provides up-to-date information and news on the countries of the world.

Web Resources

U.S. Census Bureau's International Database
Select a report, year(s), countries or region to search for data. Other information is available by clicking the "Data" tab, such as links to the World Population Summary, Country Ranking (by population), or Global Population Mapping.
C.I.A. World Factbook
This site contains profiles for all of the nations around the world, including demographic profiles and statistics. Use the drop-down box at the top to select the country of interest. Detailed descriptions and demographic information for each country are presented to user, such as: Population, Median Age, Urbanization, Economy, and Government.
globalEdge
From the Center for International Business Education and Research at Michigan State University, information on industries and demographics for consumers can be found. Find specific country by selecting from the drop-down box By Country.
NationMaster
NationMaster is a vast compilation of data from hundreds of sources. Using the search forms, you can get maps and graphs on all kinds of statistics with ease. With data compared across 305 countries and over 5,000 specific categories to analyze, this site offers a wealth of information. Select 'countries' to view the list offered and see information such as: Cost of Living, Environment, Industry, Lifestyle, etc.

Pennsylvania Data

Pennsylvania State Data Center
The Pennsylvania State Data Center serves as Pennsylvania's official source of population and economic statistics.If you are formulating a marketing plan, relocating or starting a business, developing a customer profile, working on a public policy initiative or just want a demographic figure, The Pennsylvania State Data Center has the information you need.
Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center
The Data Center maintains Allegheny County and the City of Pittsburgh’s open data portal, and provides a number of services to data publishers and users. The Data Center also hosts datasets from these and other public sector agencies, academic institutions, and non-profit organizations.
Southwestern Pennsylvania Community Profiles
Provides interactive data for 11 domains: arts and culture, demographics, economy, education, environment, governance and civic vitality, health, housing and properties, human services, public safety, and transportation.

Pittsburgh Data

Pittsburgh Census Quick Facts
State and County demographic data from the U.S. Census Bureau specifically on Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Data Map
City of Pittsburgh Municipal Website provides Pittsburgh neighborhood and data map resources
Census Data for Pittsburgh Neighborhoods
Includes map of city.
Pittsburgh Today
Provides a wealth of data on the Pittsburgh region.
Pittsburgh Regional Alliance
Check out the "regional data" tab at the top of the page for comprehensive Pittsburgh specific data and demographics information
PGHSNAP
Made by the city government and now hosted by Pitt UCSUR, includes raw data and data by neighborhood.

Finding Consumers and Psychographic Information

women shopping in grocery store

You can think of demographics as providing information about who your consumers are, and psychographics providing the why they purchase things.

There are many resources available to help you learn about consumers and their behaviors, attitudes, and opinions.

Image from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, on Flickr, CC BY.

Pitt Databases

RKMA Market Research Reports This link opens in a new window
Market research reports on a variety of topics.
Statista This link opens in a new window
Offers market and consumer data across a variety of topics in the form of statistics, dossiers, and infographics as well as a global consumer behavior survey.

Web Resources

Consumer Expenditure Survey
This site consists of two surveys that provide information on the buying habits of American consumers, including data on their expenditures, income, and consumer characteristics. The survey data are collected for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Pew Research Center Social & Demographic Trends
This project studies behaviors and attitudes of Americans in key realms of their lives, including family, community, health, finance, work and leisure. The project explores these topics by combining original public opinion survey research with social, economic and demographic data analysis.
Consumer Search
Offers an analysis of important product trends and developments for users to browse.
Nielson Company Ratings
TV, online and mobile audience measurement; rankings and ratings in consumer media and marketing behavior.
American Customer Satisfaction Index
The ACSI measures consumer satisfaction with more than 200 companies in 43 industries plus the federal government. Find specifics under Industries for more information.
ESRI Tapestry Segmentation
This freely available interactive website allows you to search for brief synopses of the lifestyle choices of those who make up specific zip codes or neighborhoods.

Web Resources

Consumer Confidence Survey
From the University of Michigan, this survey provides basic information about consumer confidence, one indicator of consumer spending.
American Time Use Survey
This survey measures the amount of time people spend doing various activities, such as paid work, childcare, volunteering, and socializing. From the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Roper Center for Public Opinion Research
The Roper center provides polling data on all sorts of public opinion topics.
Pew Research Center
Provides polling information on all sorts of topics.

Pitt Databases

Social Explorer This link opens in a new window
Social Explorer is mainly an interactive map of demographic information drawn from the US Census. Users can examine geographic areas while selecting the type of data to be shown, such as population density or income level. Note: Creation of a Personal Account is required to fully access all Social Explorer features.

Web Resources

Consumer Expenditure Survey
From the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Understanding the basic economic conditions can help understand and project consumer spending habits. Use the following websites.

Economy at a Glance
Unemployment, Consumer Price Index, both national and state-level data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
Overview of US Economy
GDP by industry, GDP by State, Personal Income, International Investment and Trade, from the Bureau of Economic Analysis
Tracking the Global Economy
Provides charts on current trends for certain economic indicators, from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

University of Pittsburgh Library System

Course & Subject Guides

Entrepreneurship Resources @ Pitt

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Overview

Search Tips:

Finding Demographic Information

Finding Consumers and Psychographic Information