Helpful Links

As you get started researching issues, these links should be able to get you started down the correct path.

Note: Illinois YMCA Youth & Government is not responsible for content on external web sites that are linked from this site.

Issue Research

PublicAgenda.com - Site contains issue guides to educate citizens on both sides of important political issues.
OnTheIssues.com - Primer for many national and regional issues such as crime, abortion and health care.
PollingReport.com - Results of opinion polls on a variety of issues.
BalancedPolitics.org - Detailed arguments on both sides of many current issues.
PolicyAlmanac.org - Detailed articles on many political issues.
Yahoo! Political Issues Directory - Links to sites dealing with a wide array of political issues.

U.S. Census Factfinder - Detailed demographic data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
State of Illinois Statistics - Links to issue-specific statistics compiled by the University of Illinois - Springfield.
Illinois Demographic and Economic Profile [PDF] - Illinois county demographics in a report by the Rural Policy Research Institute.
Illinois County Data Book [PDF] - Nearly 200 pages of county data from the General Assembly’s Legislative Research Unit.

Links to sites that provide links to hundreds of interest groups on a variety of topics.

Public Policy Links of Interest - Page of links maintained by the West Virginia University Political Science department.
American Policy Directory - From the University of Oregon.

A selection of links to other Youth & Government programs from around the country.