Unit of analysis

The unit of analysis is the major entity that is being in the study. It is the 'what' or 'whom' that is being studied. In social science research, the most typical units of analysis are individual people. Other units of analysis can be groups, social organizations and social artifacts. This is not to be confused with the unit of observation, which is the unit on which you collect 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.
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