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Aggregate statistics |
What are census aggregate statistics?
Aggregate statistics for Zoneworld
What can census aggregate statistics tell us?
Obtaining the data
What data are available?
What are census aggregate statistics?
The aggregate statistics produced as outputs from UK censuses provide information on a wide range of
demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the population of the United Kingdom. They are
predominantly a collection of aggregated, or summary counts of the numbers of people, families or
households resident in specific geographical areas or ‘zones’ possessing particular characteristics,
or combinations of characteristics drawn from the themes of population, people and places, families,
ethnicity and religion, health, work, and housing.
An example of the kind of information available from the aggregate statistics might be the numbers of
people who are aged over 50, and are unemployed (a combination of characteristics) within each of the
wards in the district of Greater Manchester (a set of geographical zones). The characteristics could
include a wide range of information on demographic and socio-economic themes that is gathered as part
of the census process.
The aggregate statistics are the most commonly and widely used component of the outputs from UK censuses.
They are derived from analysis of the information provided in census returns. The 2001 Census aggregate
statistics are based on analysis of a full sample of all returned forms, with adjustment in the outputs
for people and households who may have been missed out, and not been recorded on a form, or alternatively,
may have been counted more than once by being recorded on more than one form.
The information that can be obtained from the aggregate statistics is presented as a series of over 1000
pre-defined univariate and multivariate tabulations. An illustration of what this means is given by means
of the example below.
Aggregate statistics for Zoneworld
The information that it is possible to obtain about the age and gender of the residents in the different
zones of the imaginary Zoneworld above can be represented in the following cross-tabulation of simple
classifications of age and gender.
| Age/Gender |
Male |
Female |
| Over 16 |
count_1 |
count_2 |
| Under 16 |
count_3 |
count_4 |
In this cross-tabulation, count_1, for example, is an identifier or code used to show that information about the
number of males who are over 16 years of age is available for each of the zones of Zoneworld.
If the information represented by count_1, count_2, count_3 and count_4 were requested for each of the zones
in Zoneworld, the actual counts might be returned in a table like that below.
|
count_1 |
count_2 |
count_3 |
count_4 |
| Zone A |
3 |
4 |
2 |
3 |
| Zone B |
4 |
3 |
1 |
3 |
| Zone C |
6 |
6 |
3 |
4 |
| Zone D |
4 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
Aggregate statistics are available for the full range of geographies employed within the census, from the smallest
(output areas with an average of 150 persons in England and Wales 150,000), to national level. For further
information about the geographies used in the output of census aggregate statistics, see the section on census
geography in the Office for National Statistics’
Beginner’s Guide to UK Geography.
What can census aggregate statistics tell us?
Census aggregate statistics provide the most complete source of information about the demographic
and socio-economic characteristics of the UK population that is available. They provide a wide
range of comparable information at a range of geographical levels across the entire UK, and so
can be used to describe and compare population characteristics in different locations across the UK.
The primary purpose of UK censuses is to provide central and local government with the information
required for them to target resources and services effectively to meet the anticipated needs of the
population. Census aggregate statistics are also widely used across the academic and private sectors.
Census aggregate statistics can be used by themselves, but are also often combined with information from
other sources to provide background or context. They have also been used to create derived measures, such as
deprivation scores,
area classifications and a
1991 Area Master File.
Obtaining the data
The
Census Dissemination Unit
(CDU), based within Mimas at the University of Manchester, provides access to, and support for, the use of
aggregate statistics outputs from the 1971, 1981, 1991 and 2001 censuses, together with a range of associated
datasets and services.
The main tool that the CDU has developed to meet the specific requirements of academics for accessing census
aggregate statistics data is
Casweb.
Casweb is an online service that is free to use for members of academic organisations using federated access
management (Shibboleth) user authentication system.
What data are available?
The aggregate statistics outputs from the 2001 Census are available in three main datasets:
- key statistics - summary tables covering the most significant and requested counts
-
standard tables - the most detailed of the aggregate statistics tables (not
produced for the smallest geographical areas used in the census)
-
census area statistics - mostly versions of the Standard Tables for smaller areas,
but containing less detail
Aggregate statistics outputs from the 1971, 1981 and 1991 censuses are also available via Casweb.