Official statistics

• What are official statistics?

  Quantitative data collected by government bodies
• What are the two main sources of official statistics?

  Government activities and surveys like the Census
• What are 'hard' statistics?

  Simple counts that register events
• What are 'soft' statistics?

  Statistics that are more easily manipulated
• Why are the strengths and weaknesses of official statistics significant?

  They are secondary data beyond sociologists' control
• Why do positivists prefer official statistics?

  They provide large-scale, representative quantitative data
• What is the positivist assumption about social reality?

  There is a reasonable objective social reality
• What do interpretivists think about official statistics?

  They see them as socially constructed and invalid
• What are the advantages of official statistics?

  • Availability: Cheap and readily accessible
  • Representativeness: Based on large samples
  • Coverage: Covers important social aspects
  • Prompts to research: Reveals patterns for further study
  • Background data: Provides demographic information
  • Comparability: Easy to identify trends
• How do official statistics provide prompts to research?

  They reveal new patterns needing further investigation
• Why are official statistics considered reliable?

  Same categories and collection methods are used
• What is a problem with the definitions used in official statistics?

  They may differ from sociologists' definitions
• What is a reliability issue with official statistics?

  Recording errors and missed households occur
• How do interpretivists view official statistics?

  As social constructs resulting from negotiation
• What do Marxists claim about official statistics?

  They reflect ruling-class interests and ideology
• What do feminists argue about official statistics?

  They are biased against women in definitions
• How do positivists and interpretivists differ in their view of official statistics?

  • Positivists: Present as 'social facts'
  • Interpretivists: View as social constructs, not true representations
• Why are 'hard' statistics considered more accurate?

  They are simple counts of events
• Why are 'soft' statistics less reliable?

  They are more easily manipulated politically
• What are the problems with official statistics?

  They may not be reliable or accurate
• How do definitions in official statistics differ from those in sociology?

  They may differ in operationalization and data presentation
• In what context do official statistics measure occupation?

  In terms of job classification
• How do sociologists view class compared to official statistics?

  Sociologists may view class based on ownership
• What is a potential issue with the reliability of official statistics?

  Errors and omissions in data collection
• What do critics argue about the nature of official statistics?

  They argue that they reflect social constructs
• How does the definition of crime in official statistics affect its representation?

  It must be observed, reported, and recorded
• What impact do victim surveys have on understanding crime statistics?

  They reveal underreported crime statistics
• What is a common bias in official statistics regarding gender?

  They may underrepresent women's work
• How do definitions of 'work' in official statistics affect women's employment figures?

  They exclude unpaid household work
• What is the effect of changing definitions on unemployment statistics?

  They can alter the perceived unemployment rate
• How do political biases influence official statistics?

  They reflect ruling class interests and ideologies
• What is the significance of the term 'dark figure' in crime statistics?

  It refers to unreported crimes
• How do official definitions of unemployment change over time?

  They can be altered to reflect economic conditions
• What is the impact of massaging unemployment figures in the 1980s?

  It presented a more positive government image
• How do feminist critiques view official statistics regarding gender bias?

  They argue statistics are biased against women
• What is the role of official statistics in social life?

  They reflect political decisions and definitions
• How do definitions in official statistics relate to social life?

  They cover areas of social life and decisions
• How can official statistics be used effectively?

  By understanding their limitations and biases
• What are the key criticisms of official statistics?

  • May not be reliable or accurate
  • Definitions differ from sociological perspectives
  • Reflect social constructs rather than objective truths
  • Subject to political biases and manipulation
  • Underreporting of certain demographics, especially women
• How do definitions in official statistics affect social perceptions?

  • Definitions shape how data is interpreted
  • Can lead to misrepresentation of social issues
  • Influence public policy and opinion
  • Reflect underlying social and political ideologies