Thursday 11 September 2003, 4pm, Conference Centre
Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly - the most unique area?
Malcolm Brown, Cornwall County Council
2001 census data is gradually emerging. It is still too early to say precisely what it shows but, even from key statistics, it already seems that Cornwall in general and the Isles of Scilly in particular can fairly be described as one of if not the most unique area in the country.
Some of its paradoxes are well known. Cornwall combines much of the demographic growth and the ageing population of the south with the economic and social exclusion problems of the north. It has been described graphically as having 'yuppie prices and coolie wages'.
The number of new jobs created in the last decade is impressive but earnings have fallen further and further behind the national average. Gross domestic product (GDP) per head is the lowest in the UK and as a result Objective One status has been awarded by the European Union.
From this background, census statistics will be analysed during the early summer and compared with 1991 census results and appropriate non-census data to try to help understanding of how Cornwall is changing, the respects in which it is and is not diverging further from national norms and other comparable areas, and the respects in which it is typical and those in which it is not.
Cornwall is known to and loved by many people throughout the UK and the research from which the conference paper will be produced will aim to shed fresh light on its key characteristics. All aspects of census results will be considered but the paper will highlight points of greatest distinctiveness.
Chief Executive's Department
Cornwall County Council
County Hall
Truro TR1 3AY
Tel: +44 (0)1872 322621
Fax: +44 (0)1872 323836
Email: mbrown@cornwall.gov.uk
Unique together: Camden and the census
Neil Storer, London Borough of Camden
Camden is just not quite like any other place and there is no other data source or set of sources that quite give the same richness and depth as the census. Due in particular to the detailed geography, the breadth and interconnectivity of topics and abundant detail, the census allows us to discover the great divides and the tiny nuances of spatial and social difference.
Camden has always recognised the unique nature of the UK population census. A once a decade plethora of statistics that detail of our residents, residences and those who work in our borough. Though a snapshot, the census has invariably been used throughout the inter-censal period to provide a grand overview, but more particularly to provide profiles of small areas for which no other comparable data sources are available.
In turn, censuses have painted a vivid picture of Camden. Initial results from the 2001 census indicate that Camden still stands out in many respects: Camden has the highest proportion in England and Wales of households lacking their own shower or bath and toilet, and ranks second highest on the overcrowding indicator. It is in the top ten local authorities in England and Wales for one person households, persons educated to degree level and higher, people born outside the UK, proportion of households without access to a car or van, and population density. Camden also has the highest proportion of resident adult students in London. Critically, though, the detailed small area analysis will show that Camden is also incredibly polarised - from areas that are characterised by deprivation and lack of amenities to those that are some of the wealthiest and best served in the country.
Len Cook, the National Statistician, has asked us to contemplate the loss of such an institution - the census. We may shortly be asked to consider the reasons why it may not be 'up to the job' anymore and whether a system of linked administrative records might not be a more cost effective and modern approach. Rather than throw the baby out with the bathwater, the census's needs have to be properly addressed to keep its acclaimed position.
Certainly there are issues of better coverage that need to be broached, especially in metropolitan areas. A review of post-back, better public education ongoing throughout the inter-censal period, variant definitions of population, consideration of visitors and the family structures found within communal establishments are all issues that need to be looked at, as well as the possibility of mid-term censuses or surveys for areas experiencing rapid change.
The census will always be required as the benchmark to calibrate surveys and models, and as a comparator. It may well be that a reinvigorated census, complemented by linked administrative records and neighbourhood statistics, could be a new unique formula for the future.
Forward Planning and Projects Team
Environment Department
Camden Town Hall
Argyle Street
London WC1H 8EQ
Tel: +44 (0)20 7974 5561
Fax: +44 (0)20 7314 1930
Email: neil.storer@camden.gov.uk
Evidence of changing social inequalities in Britain from the 2001 census of population
Danny Dorling, Phil Rees and Bethan Thomas, University of Leeds
This paper presents an analysis of the degree to which the population of Britain has become more or less geographically polarised as compared to 1991 and earlier censuses. We use the key statistics for local authorities from the 2001 census, released on 13 February 2003 by the census authorities. All of the variables from the 26 key statistics tables that can be compared over time with the 1991 census are examined. The analysis is then extended for a subset of variables that were similarly measured in 1971 and 1981.
The paper concludes that for key aspects of life in Britain, as recorded by the censuses, the nation has continued in the 1990s to divide socially geographically, often at a faster rate than was occurring in the 1980s or 1970s. Where there appears to have been a reduction in polarisation it tends to have been for those aspects of life which are now poorly measured by the census. The paper concludes by speculating about the possible reasons for the continued division of the country into areas now more easily than ever typified as being old and young, settled and migrant, black and white, or rich and poor. Finally, the potential for the continued socio-spatial polarisation of Britain is discussed. The paper begins with a fictional vignette.
School of Geography
University of Leeds
Leeds
LS2 9JT