My statistical training has been under the assumption that I will never have access to population level data. In my current role though I do have access to this level of data for a region.
Are there any recommended resources on working with this level of data? Particularly for modeling purposes?
If you aren't aware of a resource (textbook etc.), do you know of any topics I should read up on?
(If this is the wrong place to post this question please let me know where I should direct it to.)
It might not make any difference whatsoever, depending on what you are studying. If you wish to generalize, just treat the "population" data in the same way that you treat "sample" data. On the other hand, if you are only interested in the given population at that given time, without caring whether the data reflect more general truths; and at the same time not caring that in some subsets of the population (e.g., older Native Americans) there may be very small sample sizes, yet you still wish the assume that the given "population" data are all that you ever need, despite such small sample sizes, then sure, abandon all probabilistic/inferential treatment of the data.
