Unit of analysis
The unit of analysis is the major entity that is being analyzed in the study. It is the 'what' or 'whom' that is being studied. In social science research, typical units of analysis include individuals (most common), groups, social organizations and social artifacts.
The literature of International Relations serves as a good example of unit of analysis. In "Man, State and War", Kenneth N. Waltz creates a tripartite analysis with three different units of analysis: the man (individual), the state (a group), and war (the system in which groups interact).
This is not to be confused with the unit of observation, which is the unit on which one collects data (data on neighborhoods of people using the U.S. Census, on individuals using surveys, etc.). For example, a study may have a unit of observation at the individual level but may have the unit of analysis at the neighborhood level, drawing conclusions on neighborhood characteristics from data collected from individuals.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Earl Babbie, 'The Practice of Social Research', 10th edition, Wadsworth, Thomson Learning Inc., ISBN 0-534-62029-9
[edit] External links
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A. Nuri Yurdusev, ‘Level of Analysis and Unit of Analysis: A Case for Distinction’, Millennium: Journal of International Studies (Vol.22, No.1, Spring 1993), 77-88.
