Radical
Statistics
Census Information
4) What an academic learnt from being an enumerator...
Anon
Much use is made of the census characteristics of enumeration districts (EDs). For example part of GP remuneration is based on the census characteristics of the EDs in which their patients live. EDs, which are small geographical areas, are usually assumed to be reasonably homogenous. Working as an enumerator in the recent census brought home to me just how heterogeneous enumeration districts can be, containing within their boundaries great diversity. My enumeration district of about 180 households was in an inner city area. It is a rectangle consisting of two long streets of mostly terraced turn of the century houses plus the short bits at either end of the rectangle. First impressions were of quite a 'straightforward' area; however closer inspection made clear what variety it contained. There is a synagogue, a mosque and a Baptist church. There are four small purpose-built three-storey blocks of flats (social housing) dotted amongst the terraced houses, two dating from the 1950s, two very recent. There is one communal establishment - a hostel for ex-offenders. Some of the three-storey terraced houses are owner-occupied, some privately rented. Some are occupied as whole houses, some are split into two, sometimes three, flats. Some properties are very run down, some smart and clearly contain all mod cons. Some are overcrowded, while in some cases whole terraced houses contain one or two people. Households living in great comfort and poverty live alongside each other. Some households are clearly very settled having lived in the same place for many years; others are quite mobile. There were single person households, young couples, elderly couples, extended families, single mothers. Inhabitants of the area ranged through wealthy middle-class professionals, unemployed people, students, manual workers and young single men in bed-sits. In terms of ethnic groups (as categorised on the census form) most categories were represented: White British, White Other, Mixed of various combinations, Asian, Caribbean, African, Chinese and more. Country of birth ranged far and wide around the globe. There were non-English speakers with whom I could only communicate when their children or grand-children were visiting. Educational qualifications spanned the spectrum from none to degrees, with both ends well represented. The occupants of the flats above the shops at either end of the rectangle remained a mystery. I never found anyone in despite calling at different times of day. Nor was it possible to ascertain anything about the accommodation and its occupants since all that could be seen was a door alongside a shop front.
