1. The role of the census in
public policy-making:
information practices of policy
makers
Lynn Killick, Prof Alistair Duff, Prof Hazel
Hall & Prof Mark Deakin
@sherpalynn @ingsocproject

3. The role of the census in
public policy-making:
information practices of policy
makers
@sherpalynn

4. So why the census?
• The ‘foundation’ for government
statistics
• The ‘anchor’ to compare other data
sources against

5. And who are the policy makers?
• Regulators
• Politicians
• Council Officials
• Civil Servants
• Non-executives
• Third sector workers

6. approach
Content Analysis
• Longitudinal analysis of
policy documents
• First phase complete,
documents published by
Scottish Government for
2014
• Next phase will apply
coding schedule to 2015
documents
• Using NVivo
Semi-structured interviews
• Interviews not yet complete
• 19 concluded to date
covering all target areas
• Emerging results at this
stage

7. Which documents?
• Equality Impact Assessments (EQIA’s)
– Documents that public bodies must publish
– Relate to any policy decision
– Should detail all evidence consulted
– Should detail any detrimental impact or
positive impact
• Scottish Government EQIA’s reviewed

8. approach
Caveats
• The census not always
an appropriate evidence
source
• Unlikely to be the only
source of evidence
• First 2011 Census results
released in December
2013
Results
• Few documents made
reference to the census
• One document referred to a
specific statistic emerging
from the census
• No evidence derived from
small area data was referred
to or mentioned directly

9. approach
• References to the census
appeared to be a caught
in a general statement
• No confidence that
census data beyond the
national headlines is
accessed
• Not all policy decisions need
census data
• Not all relevant reports
would be available

10. ©NHSScotland
Small area data not included….

11. approach
Interviews
• Recorded using iPad x 2
• Transcribed using Nvivo
• Average length of
interview 45 minutes
• Confidentiality key – If
Edinburgh is a village,
Scotland is a very small
town
• First interview February
• Last interview?

12. Without it we couldn’t
demonstrate we were
doing our job… it is our
only measure of
progress

15. I’ve never been asked
for more detailed
information

16. Those assessments?,
they are a bit of pain
to be honest

18. approach
Results Results
• Majority of users, use the
census at a superficial level
• Those who use the small
area data tend to rely on
third party statisticians
• A reluctance to take action
identified
• Regulators and third party
organisations placed more
value on the census
• Third party organisations
and local authority most
likely to use small area data
• Small area data used as an
influencing tool

19. Key findings
The data is difficult to navigate – easy
to look at top level information
The place of census data as a
benchmark/foundation is accepted
Concerns that other initiatives
(PREVENT) will affect the census and
in turn the use of census data

20. Policy makers lack the ????? to apply
census data to their work

21. References
Baffour, B., King, T., & Valente, P. (2013). The modern census: evolution, examples and evaluation.
International Statistical Review, 81(3), 407–425. doi:10.1111/insr.12036
Boyle, P., & Dorling, D. (2004). Guest editorial: the 2001 UK census: remarkable resource or bygone
legacy of the “pencil and paper era”? Area, 36, 101–110. doi:10.1111/j.0004-0894.2004.00207.x
The Cabinet Office, HM Government (2012). The Civil Service Reform Plan Retrieved from
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/305148/Civil-
Service-Reform-Plan-final.pdf
Chertov, O., & Aleksandrova, M. (2013). Using association rules for searching levers of influence in
census data. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 73, 475–478.
doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.02.079
Coleman, D. (2013). The twilight of the census. Population and development Review, 8, 334–351.
Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1728-4457.2013.00568.x/abstract
Cullen, R. (2009). Culture, identity and information privacy in the age of digital government. Online
Information Review, 33(3), 405–421. doi:10.1108/14684520910969871
Dugmore, K., Furness, P., Leventhal, B., & Moy, C. (2011). Beyond the 2011 census in the United
Kingdom: with an international perspective. International Journal of Market Research.
doi:10.2501/IJMR-53-5-619-650

22. References
Feather, J. (2013). The information society: a study of continuity and change (6th ed.). London: Facet
Publishing.
Foreman, J., & Thomson L. (2009) Government information literacy in the "century of information".
Journal of Information Literacy, 3(2), 64-72
Heeney, C. (2012). Breaching the contract? Privacy and the UK Census. The Information Society.
doi:10.1080/01972243.2012.709479
Kauhanen-Simanainen, A. (2007). Corporate literacy: discovering the senses of the organisation.
Oxford
National Audit Office (2013). Building capability in the Senior Civil Service to meet today's challenges,
Report by the Controller and Auditor General. London. The Stationery Office (HC 129) Retrieved
from http://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/10167-001-Full-Report.pdf
Simpson, S., & Dorling, D. (1994). Those missing millions: implications for social statistics of non-
response to the 1991 Census. Journal of Social Policy. Retrieved from
http://journals.cambridge.org/production/action/cjoGetFulltext?fulltextid=3322620
Talbot, C., & Talbot, C. (2014). Sir Humphrey and the professors: What does Whitehall want from
academics?.
White, I. (2009). The 2011 census taking shape: methodological and technological developments.
Population Trends, (136), 64–72. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19606600

24. @sherpalynn
www.informingthegoodsociety.com
@ingsocproject