At 15:01 13/02/01 -0000, [log in to unmask] wrote (in part):
>Took me a while before the penny dropped, but if I'd any illusions in a past
>golden age of popular education they'd certainly have been dispelled.
Indeed, the census process obviously needs to take on board a realisation
that (relative or near-absolute) illiteracy is still alive and well.
On the question of the Census, it's not a field I know much about, and I
therefore strongly suspect that this question is one which has been debated
extensively in the past, at all levels, but ....
Given that (one hopes!) that a modern Census (e.g. the UK one) no longer
serves the purpose (which existed in past times) of generating individual
information (i.e. 'lists') primarily for taxation purposes, I can't help
but wonder how justifiable it is, in statistical terms, to undertake a full
Census, at great cost etc.
If, in almost any other context, someone came to me for advice about
'obtaining statistics' from a 'population' of 57 million (or whatever)
'items', one of the first things I would probably discuss with them would
be the fact that they would get virtually as good information by conducting
a sample survey of a relative tiny random sample.
If we have the means (i.e. a sampling frame of households) to attempt a
full Census, then we also have the means to obtain a pretty good simple
random sample.
I'd be interested to hear about what arguments have been put forward about
this. Perhaps those in the know could give me some idea as to how the
'quality' of data from the 10% sample surveys compares with the full UK
Census.
Kind Regards,
John
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Dr John Whittington, Voice: +44 (0) 1296 730225
Mediscience Services Fax: +44 (0) 1296 738893
Twyford Manor, Twyford, E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Buckingham MK18 4EL, UK [log in to unmask]
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