Science and Technology CommitteeWritten evidence submitted by ESRC International Centre for Life Course Studies in Society and Health (Census 06)

I am responding on behalf of ESRC International Centre for Life Course Studies in Society and Health. Our answers to your questions are:

1. How do social scientists use Census data?

In our work, Census data are used in many ways.

(a)The Census serve as the definitive source for describing the health and social circumstances of the contemporary population, particularly for relatively small population groups. For example, the Census is one of the only data sources that allow us to examine the characteristics of specific ethnic minority groups, occupational groups, or residents of small geographic areas such as electoral wards. Census data, including the Samples of Anonymised Records, can serve a source of data for detailed research in their own right or can be used to substantiate or inform findings arising from sample surveys.

(b)Census allow us to examine and understand social change. With 100% data we can look at change over time at a population level, for example in access to basic amenities, or household structure. Census data linked to other administrative records in the ONS Longitudinal Study open up unrivalled opportunities for looking at change across individuals’ lives, inter-generational change in social circumstances, and for understanding socio-demographic differentials in mortality and fertility. For example, the ONS Longitudinal Study is the key source in the UK for understanding differences in mortality by occupational class and provides a rich source for understanding the fertility patterns by ethnic group.

(c)Census data provide a reference point for ensuring that sample surveys are representative of their intended population, through the generation of population weights or grossing factors. This is a vital function of the Census for the social science community, as it allows us to understand the extent to which research findings from surveys are generalisable to the population at large.

2. What impact will the ending of the Census have on social science research?

Given full population coverage of Census, the long run of available Census data for monitoring social and demographic trends, and the relative detail of the UK census, the end of the UK Census is likely to have detrimental impact on the quality of social science research in the UK. The Census is part of the UK social science infrastructure; it is therefore difficult to assess the full ramifications of ending it. We assume that the Census would be replaced without some other method of enumerating the population. The absence of a firm proposal for this alternative, makes it difficult to understand the relative impact of ending the Census.

3. What alternatives to the Census would provide population and socio-demographic data of equivalent or higher quality?

In our opinion, it is unlikely that alternatives to the Census would yield data of equivalent quality for social science research. Countries that monitor population trends using register data, have operated in a societal context where this accepted and supported by the general public.

To date, there appears to be little public appetite for a central population register in the UK. Any attempt to impose such a register without consensus runs the risk of yielding poor quality information and relatively high rates of data missingness.

4. What other existing sources of population and socio-demographic data could be improved upon?

Administrative data collected by Government departments could be improved with more attention to the nature of data collection and quality of completion. For example, Her Majesty Revenue and Customs could improve its recording of the occupation and industry of individuals, although this might place burdens on business. However, we are not aware of single data source, or universal point of interaction with state that <?oasys [pf20p0] ?>would provide the opportunity for collecting high quality data about a range population variables. For example, it is not clear where opportunities would present themselves to equally detailed data on issues such as household structure.

David Blane
Professor of Medical Sociology,
Imperial College London

Deputy Director
ESRC International Centre for Life Course Studies in Society and Health

17 November 2011