ABSTRACT
The organization and management of an advanced industrial society like Britain requires the systematic collection and processing of a mass of infor mation by central government. Most aspects of daily life are monitored and recorded through established and sophisticated mechanisms for data acquisition and analysis, and the details obtained form an essential element in the day-to-day administration of the country. Some of this material is the subject of general concern and contemporary political discussion. Statistics such as the retail price index, the rate of inflation or the level of unemployment are very familiar and are taken as measures of current economic and social trends, as well as indicators of the success or failure of government policy. They are regularly reported and commented on in the media. Such ‘headline’ figures are clearly significant because of the way in which they are interpreted, but there are many contemporary issues for which precise statistical information is essential to gain a clear understanding of underlying developments. The levels and changing patterns of crime, the educational attainments of school leavers, the performance of the National Health Service, the availability and price of housing, etc., can only be assessed effectively by reference to up-to-date and accurate figures, although the statistics provided are often subjected to varying interpretations.
