Sources of data for social and demographic statistics

Household surveys are among three major sources of social and demographic statistics in many countries. It is recognized that population and housing censuses are also a key source of social statistics but they are usually conducted at long intervals of about 10 years. Administrative record systems are the third source. For most countries, however, this source is somewhat better developed for health and vital statistics than for social statistics. Household surveys provide a cheaper alternative to censuses for timely data and a more relevant and convenient alternative to Administrative record systems. They are used for the collection of detailed and varied socio demographic data pertaining to the conditions under which people live, their well-being, the activities in which they engage, and demographic characteristics and cultural factors that influence behaviour, as well as social and economic change. This does not, however, preclude the complementary use of data generated through household surveys with data from other sources such as censuses and administrative records.

Related Subject(s): Economic and Social Development