The mandate of the Data Bank is to acquire raw numerical data from the Caribbean region,  to facilitate social policy analysis. In addition the Data Bank  provides an archival function because, in the past,  much data have been lost through poor archival practices. Although small, the Data Bank is proud of its collection of datasets, especially from Jamaica and hopes that the cooperation that it has received from the Government of Jamaica will extend to other Caribbean territories.

Datasets

The following list represents datasets currently in the data bank:
 

Jamaica

Population Census of Jamaica, 1982, 1991 and 2001

Jamaica Adult Literacy Survey, 1994, 1999

Vital registration of births and deaths , 1974 - 1990

Contraceptive prevalence surveys, 1989, 1993 1997 and 2002

Jamaica Labour  Force Survey 1974 - 2005

Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions - 1988 - 2006

External Trade, 1990 - 1999

Caribbean Adolescent Health Survey (Jamaica Data) 1997

Knowledge, Attitude, Behaviour & Practices Study (Adult Population 15-49 years) 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004

Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) 2000

Sexual Decision Making Among Jamaicans 1990 - 1994

Adolescent Students' Drug Use, 1997

Male attitudes to relationships and fatherhood 1998

Business and Consumer Confidence Survey 2002 - 2005

Other Caribbean Territories

St. Kitts Poverty Assessment Study - 1999

Guyana Survey of Living Conditions - 1993

St. Lucia Poverty Assessment Study - 1994

Belize Poverty Assessment Study - 1995, 2001

Barbados Labour Force Survey and Poverty & Living Conditions, 1996

Belize Census 1991

Belize Abstracts 1996 - 1999

St. Vincent & the Grenadines Poverty  Assessment Study - 1994

Grenada Poverty Assessment Study - 1998

External Trade Data, Trinidad & Tobago, 1992 - 1998

Trinidad & Tobago Poll March, 2000

Objectives

The Data Bank is expected to facilitate the following:

• Consolidation of social and economic data

• Establishment of a system to bring together social data and the expertise to carry out relevant social policy analysis

• Access to social data for faculty upgrading and graduate training programmes

• In-depth examination and manipulation of existing data by researchers for critical analysis of social and economic indicators

• Comparative data analysis on a regional basis.

To facilitate and stimulate relevant social policy analysis of data sets in the Data Bank the following categories of users will be accommodated:

• Researchers, faculty and graduate students in the Faculties of Social Sciences, Education and Health Sciences.

• Policy-makers, researchers and analysts in the sector ministries, specifically Health, Education & Culture, and Labour & Welfare, Planning Institute of Jamaica and the private sector.

• Participants in project supported training programmes.

• Social science researchers from outside of the Caribbean but conducting policy research on the region (on a user-charge basis).

The Data Bank has a local area network (LAN) with Internet connectivity of twenty two computers and a server and two printers. It is manned by a statistical analyst.

The normal opening hours of the Data Bank will allow full access to users between the hours of 8:30 am and 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday. However, outside of these hours, use is accommodated depending on the availability of staff.