| Note | Previous Page | Example |
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For example, when studying unemployment we can be reasonably sure the
statistics are collected reliably, month-on-month, but we need to know
how accurate (or "valid") a picture of unemployment they
represent. For example, if we wanted to compare levels / rates of
unemployment in our society between today and twenty years ago, could we
use government statistics for this purpose?
Although such statistics are collected reliably, definitions of "unemployment" have changed over time - and since the definition has changed about 25 times over the past 15 years, such statistics are not valid for purposes of comparison (we are not, in technical terms, "comparing like with like"). Additionally, since such statistics do not use a definition of "unemployment" that involves counting everyone who wants to find a job (but can't) it's unlikely that they represent a true or valid picture of unemployment in Britain... |
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