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Are official statistics measuring the right things?

Are official statistics measuring the right things?. Social statistics users group. Official statistics reflect past decisions about. what is regarded as important to measure what is changing that needs to be monitored what is necessary for transactions or service delivery.

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Are official statistics measuring the right things?

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  1. Are official statisticsmeasuring the right things? Social statistics users group

  2. Official statistics reflect past decisions about... • what is regarded as important to measure • what is changing that needs to be monitored • what is necessary for transactions or service delivery

  3. Results of our discussions... • official statistics do measure the right things for most of the needs of users • new measures are needed as people’s lives are becoming more complex and “non-standard”

  4. New measures needed... • we need new measures that can capture the dynamics of change and transitions between states

  5. For example… Employment dynamics: • casual, temporary or seasonal employment and long-term employment • the transitions between benefit receipt and sustained employment

  6. For example… Income dynamics: • changes in income throughout life • how long families remain in low-income circumstances • debt accumulation and reduction • transitions between different income sources • shifts between financial dependence and independence within households

  7. For example… Family and household dynamics: • transitions between family and household types • how long children and parents remain in sole parent families • links between children and separated parents • residential mobility

  8. Constraints and opportunities... • more surveys = more respondent burden, risk of non-response • Longitudinal Survey of Income Dynamics will help fill some of the information gaps

  9. Migration measures • who comes to live in New Zealand and who leaves to live elsewhere? • trans-Tasman migration

  10. Comparative measures... • we need an internationally-comparable measure of the well-being of children • we need measures that show the growing diversity within groups, such as Maori and older people

  11. Other issues... • surveys versus the census • local area focus for local initiatives • problematic concepts: “family” “community” ethnic groups • a survey of values?

  12. Looking ahead... • short-term policy needs versus developing understanding • need to highlight emerging trends • new measures should be future-oriented

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