Level of Analysis

A social science study using survey data can be set at the micro level when individuals are analyzed, or it can be set at a higher, more macro level when aggregates of individuals such as households, wards, precincts, firms, neighborhoods, communities, counties, provinces, states, or nations become the unit of analysis. This structural level, spanning the range from most micro to the most macro, at which a social scientific investigation is carried out is called level of analysis. A particular study may also cut across several levels of aggregation. For example, a multi-level study of the educational effectiveness of a certain education program may include pupil-specific, classroom-specific, school-specific, and school-district-specific information and analyze the data at each and all of the levels.

The choice of level ...