Examples of uses of the 1991 SARs
The 1991 SARs have proved an outstanding achievement for social science research. Researchers have taken advantage of the large sample sizes, the detailed geography, the wide range of socio-demographic variables and the operational flexibility. A wide range of areas have been covered including sociology, human geography, demography, economics, public health and social statistics. The availability of SARs from both the 1991 and 2001 censuses will provide a unique opportunity and challenge for studying socio- economic-cultural and demographic changes over the decade.
Research using the SARs has covered a wide range of areas in a number
of different disciplines including sociology, human geography, economics
and social statistics. Many users of the 2 per cent Individual SAR have
exploited the large sample size and relatively detailed geography to look
at social differences between sub-populations (especially ethnic groups)
and between geographical areas. Users of the 1 per cent Household file
have exploited the hierarchical nature of the data to look, in particular,
at various aspects of household and family structure and inter-relationships
within households. Users of both data sets have undertaken various types
of multivariate analysis, taking advantage of the large amount of individual
level information on the SARs in comparison to other census outputs.
A list of publications
based on the SARs is updated annually. Some of the 'key findings' from
the 1991 SARs provide potential users with information about the research
use of the data. They also demonstrate that the SARs are excellent value
for money!
A detailed discussion of how the 1991 SARS have been used is available
at www.ccsr.ac.uk/sars/use/findings/
under the headings below. It is also published in Li (2004).
- Ethnic differences
- Employment and labour markets
- Household and family composition
- Migration
- Health
- Methodological developments
- Use of the SARs in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales
- International comparative research
- Policy use of the SARs
- Marketing and commercial use of the SARs
The use of (1991) SARs data to address a range of social research questions is the basis of more than 20 online learning and teaching units.
Last updated 25 October 2004
