This accessible introduction to data analysis focuses on the interpretation of statistical results, in particular those which come from nonexperimental social research. It will provide social science researchers with the tools necessary to select and evaluate statistical tests appropriate for their research question. Using a consistent data-set throughout the book to illustrate the various analytic techniques, Michael Lewis-Beck covers topics such as: univariate statistics; measures of association; the statistical significance of the relationship between two variables; simple regression in which the dependent variable is influenced by a single independent variable; and multiple regression.