Research and Course Guides: ENTR 450 Entrepreneurship: Management and Strategy: Customer Demographics

Research Consumers

Quality demographic information is important in doing business research. Organizations need to understand their customers and prospective customers in order to supply them with the right products and services, and to reach them via their preferred media. There are many resources available to help you learn about consumers and their behaviors, attitudes, and opinions.

Statista This link opens in a new window
Statista contains frequently sought statistics and studies gathered by government sources, scientific publications, market researchers, non-profits, trade organizations, etc. Indicator stats are usually displayed as a chart and the underlying data is downloadable in Excel; charts can be downloaded in multiple formats or embedded in web pages and can be great in papers or presentations. Search results also display dossiers (topical collections of statistics), infographics, country/industry/company reports, market reports, and a global consumer survey. Results also available in French, German, and Spanish.
Mintel Academic This link opens in a new window
Mintel provides market research reports covering U.S. and global consumer markets. Sectors covered include consumer goods, travel and tourism, retail, and financial services. The reports analyze market drivers, market sizes and trends, market segmentation, along with consumer attitudes and purchasing habits. Register a personal profile using your UST email to download executive summaries of reports. Available only to current UST students, faculty, and staff.
SimplyAnalytics This link opens in a new window
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Use SimplyAnalytics (formerly SimplyMap) to create thematic maps, datasets, and reports using thousands of demographic, business, and marketing data variables for the U.S. Use it when you need demographic and marketing data for a specific geographic area in the U.S. such as a city, county, census tract, or ZIP code. Create a free personal account with your UST email to save your work (check your email spam if you don't receive an activation email) or sign in as a guest. Limited to 5 simultaneous users.
MRI-Simmons Catalyst This link opens in a new window
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Demographics, psychographics, product usage, spending behavior, and media habits of U.S. adult consumers, based on national consumer surveys. Use it to create your own custom reports. Available only to current UST students, faculty, and staff. Limited to 50 simultaneous users.
RKMA Market Research Handbooks This link opens in a new window
These handbooks focus on various consumer-related markets. Each one includes market forecasts, sector trends, and statistics. Handbooks include Business-to-Business Marketing; Consumer Behavior; Consumer Marketing & Advertising; Consumer Use of the Internet & Mobile; Entertainment & Leisure; Restaurant, Food & Beverage; Retail & E-Commerce; Sports Marketing; and Travel & Tourism.

Demographic Data

Data.Census.Gov
Data.Census.Gov, the portal that replaces American FactFinder, is the primary way to access U.S. Census Bureau data, including data from the American Community Survey, Population Estimates, Economic Census, and Annual Economic Surveys. Users can generate simple visualizations, extract reports, and explore census data by theme or topic.
American Community Survey
Ongoing sample surveys of the U.S. population.
Metropolitan Council: Data and Maps
Data from the regional planning agency for the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area.
Minnesota State Demographic Center: Census 2010
Population data from the 2010 Census.
Minnesota State Demographic Center: Population Estimates
Information on present and past population numbers in the state.
Consumer Expenditure Survey
Information on the buying habits of American consumers; includes national and regional information. Survey data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Pew Research Center
Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Statistical Abstract of the United States This link opens in a new window
This resource is the first place to go when trying to locate statistical information.
It provides tables with statistics in many different areas, and includes links to
original source data to help locate related data. Earlier editions are also available.
Covers 1970-present.

U.S. Census Bureau
The primary U.S. statistical agency, responsible for the decennial Census and the American Community Survey, the main sources of demographic information on the American population. Also the collector of many other statistical series, including the Economic Census, etc.