What multivariate method is best suitable for the following research purposes?

1. Reducing a set of attitude questions in the survey to a smaller number of attitude dimensions.
2. Estimating the links between variables in a causal structure with several independent
3. variables and several intervening variables.
4. Examining how school level characteristics and classroom level characteristics influence the
5. individual test scores of elementary school students.
6. Testing the relationship between increasing tobacco taxes and decreasing rates of smoking in
7. the United States from 1960 to 2010.
8. Tracking a sample of 100 small start-up businesses regularly each year to see how differences
9. in access to financing impacts their survival over time.