ABSTRACT
As has been evident, much of the data in this chapter has been derived from the County Reports of the Census which is taken every ten years in the year ending in –1. Because of the wide range of data they contain, these reports take up to two or more years to publish and the data within them subsequently becomes dated. The County Monitors, also produced by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys, contain a narrower range of county data in an easily accessible form. When starting a search for officially compiled data it is often best to go first to Social Trends, or for regional data to Regional Trends. Both are produced annually by the Central Statistical Office. These publications not only include chapters presenting data on the most important areas of social and economic analysis but also direct the researcher to the other official sources drawn on. Important social and economic research is carried out continually by a number of research centres and foundations, including the Policy Studies Institute, the Nuffield Foundation and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. These should be contacted for publication lists and other free or cheap material – for example, the Findings series of the latter foundation. Shelter carries out continual research on housing issues and both the Nationwide Anglia and the Halifax Building Societies provide free material on house-price trends. The Employment Gazette, published monthly, gives data on employment and unemployment, and the Low Pay Unit should be contacted for their list of publications concerning research on incomes.
