Love Data Week with ICPSR

An international celebration of data, hosted by ICPSR, taking place every year during the week of Valentine’s day. Universities, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, corporations and individuals are encouraged to host and participate in data-related events and activities.

ICPSR is proud to be the host institution for International Love Data Week.

Thank you to everyone who participated in our 2026 celebration. As we wait for Love Data Week 2027, there are still multiple ways to show your love for data!

Next Year’s Theme

February 8-12, 2027 • #LoveData27

The theme for 2027 is “Love Data. Handle with Care.”

Love Data Week, celebrated each February around Valentine’s Day, highlights the importance of data in research and everyday life, connects participants with resources, workshops, and conversations that help make data more accessible, usable, and meaningful across disciplines.

Download the image to share.

Schedule of ICPSR events

Sign up for ICPSR Announcements to receive up-to-date information on events and more. Watch webinar recordings from previous years on the ICPSR YouTube playlist.

Time (ET)February 8February 9February 10February 11February 12

All Day

Adopt a Dataset

Adopt a Dataset

Adopt a Dataset

Adopt a Dataset

Adopt a Dataset

Coming soon

Coming soon

Coming soon

Coming soon

Coming soon

Coming soon

Looking for a listing of all Love Data Week events around the world? ICPSR hosts the international schedule for Love Data Week events. Visit International Love Data Week.

Scholarship

Students from ICPSR Member institutions are welcome to apply to this year's data communications scholarship

Promoting ICPSR Resources

Use our materials at your institution to promote ICPSR data access, data deposit, and training in quantitative methods


Activities

Scavenger hunt

Nine questions with hints and answers included, as well as a completion certificate

Crossword puzzles

Two puzzles with hints and answer sheet included (canva file or pngs)

Adopt a Dataset


Looking for a quick, fun way to participate? Adopt a dataset! Just choose one from the list of datasets available for adoption (or any dataset in the ICPSR holdings), download it, and start exploring—it’s that easy.

Adopting a dataset is kind of like adopting a pet, except less messy. Choose a dataset that interests you, fill out the Adoption Form, and dig into the data. Bring your dataset to life and share what you learn through email, social media, and more.  Hint: we have images and templates that make sharing easy.

Finish your adoption and download a Certificate of Adoption. You can even be featured on our Wall of Honor. Get ready to feel warm fuzzies and a deep sense of pride.

ICPSR’s Adopt a Dataset program is free and open to everyone—students, researchers, nonprofit staff, or anyone curious about data.

  1. Pick a dataset from the data available for adoption list
  2. Fill out the short Adoption Form
  3. Explore your data like a detective: Is it numbers? Categories? A bit wild?
  4. Share your discoveries using email or social media with #ICPSR and #LoveData26
  5. Snag your Certificate of Adoption and see your name on the Wall of Honor
  6. Spread the love – invite others to adopt their own dataset

Share the good news with ready-to-use social media content, images, and the Wall of Honor. Copy/paste any of the messages below, fill in the blanks, and send.

  • Email template: I just adopted a dataset for Love Data Week! My dataset is called _______. Some things that stood out to me in the data were ________. You can adopt a dataset, too! Visit https://myumi.ch/ICPSRLoveDataWeek to learn more.
  • Bluesky template: I’m excited to take part in Love Data Week by adopting a dataset from @icpsr.bsky.social! The dataset I chose is called ____. Something unexpected I discovered is ____. Want to get involved? Check out https://myumi.ch/ICPSRLoveDataWeek for details. #LoveData26 #ICPSR
  • X template: I just adopted an @ICPSR dataset for Love Data Week! My dataset is called ____. One fact I was surprised to learn from these data was ______. You can adopt a dataset, too! Visit https://myumi.ch/ICPSRLoveDataWeek to learn more. #LoveData26 #ICPSR
  • Instagram/Facebook template: I just adopted an @TheICPSR dataset for Love Data Week! My dataset is called ____. One fact I was surprised to learn from these data was ______. You can adopt a dataset, too! Visit https://myumi.ch/ICPSRLoveDataWeek to learn more. #LoveData26 #ICPSR

Add an image to your social media posts or email: Drag and drop these images to your desktop, or use them directly on Instagram Stories and other social media. Don’t forget to tag #ICPSR #LoveData26!


The Classroom Edition is designed to get students familiar with a single study within ICPSR’s catalog. It would be especially useful in a course in which students have been introduced to research-related concepts such as sampling, data collection, or hypotheses and variables. The types of questions asked are the kinds of things one should keep in mind when exploring and evaluating data for secondary analysis.