National Ward Level Classification - Essay Example

?“National ward level ification essay” enter the Number or College 7th February Introduction In this assignment, I have explained the 2001 population census of UK by focusing on the national ward level classification. Population census is a tool for the government and other authorities to get the knowledge of the people residing in the country and their whereabouts. The chosen census variables were selected on the basis of the requirement of the modern age and are regarded as the most reliable document by many writers. Population census is done after every ten years in UK. People are distributed in it with the help of different classification. Classification is to distribute the population on the basis of their locality etc. population is calculated by the government by dividing it into different clusters. With the help of clustering people, it gets easy for the government to keep the record of people, their occupation, age, job and other characteristics. This helps them in getting different benefits for their people. Data records are important nowadays for security reasons as well. Questionnaires were distributed among the citizens for the population census. People had to answer different questions which were comprised on four pages. The security of personal information was made sure by the government. The method of gaining the results of the questionnaire was digitalized. The forms were passed through machines which detected answers and kept a record of them. The paper was recycled later. Ward level classification was developed by the available for the office of national statistics. With the help of different formulas the population census is calculated and stored in databases. Details of the methodology of the national ward level classification and how the clusters were labeled. The chosen census variables were selected, the purpose of the multivariate statistical analysis techniques used and how labels (names) were decided for the final set of clusters at the different levels in the hierarchy.  2.1 Census The census is the count of people and households and is the most reliable source of information (ONS, 2011). According to the Office for National Statistics (2011), it is made sure that every individual is included in the survey. The UK census provides a comprehensive picture of the entire population residing there. The population census in the United Kingdom is carried out after every ten years. In UK, the population census is carried out regularly after every decade with the exception of the year 1941 due to war (Barrow, 2012). 2.2 Classification It is the distribution of population on the basis of similar features or attributes that come together in groups or patches. The classification area, ‘geo-demographics’ is used for the purpose of understanding the classification for population census. According to Harris, Sleight and Webber (2005, pp.2), geo-demographics is the segmentation of people by getting the knowledge of the fact that where they reside. 2.3 Cluster Analysis and details of methodology of classification The segmentation of people on the basis of where they reside etc is making clusters of people into groups whose information is easy to analyze. The cluster analysis is however a complex process. In the cluster analysis none of the information is wrong but things differ place to place and person to person. Arabie, Hubert and Soete (1996, pp. 341) discuss that Milligan proposed a seven step process for the cluster analysis. The difference between clustering and cluster analysis lies in the means by which clusters are formed and steps in the analysis. Milligan seven steps are clustering variables, clustering elements, variable standardization, and measure of association, clustering methods, number of clusters and interpretation and testing (Arabie, Hubert and Soete, 1996, pp. 341-343). 2.4. 2001 population census UK and ward level classification There were different variables selected in the 2001 population census of UK. The basic aim was to select the most appropriate variable so that it has the most reliable data in it. In the 2001 census, a form was delivered to every person throughout the country. According to ONS (2011), the census was conducted on the 29th of April, the forms filled by people were posted to the local post offices and the remaining was collected by them. These questionnaires were then scanned to be kept as record for the next hundred years. According to Young and Cracknell (2004, pp.7) the population was announced on 30th September 2002 by ONS which was 58,789,194. The ONS created ward level classification on the basis of different variables, at first there were 94 variables selected but only 41were finalized (Vickers and Rees, 2006, pp.387). According to Charlton (2011) the different areas of UK were classified according to similar key characteristics, individuals and households. They were produced at LA (Local Authority), HA (Health Area), Ward and Output Area (OA) level of United Kingdom. The area level classifications are used by ONS for determination of mortality and fertility rates and also by local authorities to compare similar LA’s etc. The questions were based on demographics, household composition, housing, socio economic group, industry and employment (ONS, 2011). These were finalized by the advisory board which was set up for setting up variables. According Charlton (2011), the Pearson’s correlation coefficient matrix was constructed. 2.5 Ward level classification It was decided by the committee to select all individual clusters and then form one cluster by comparing two cases. This helped in minimizing the ESS (Error Sum of Squares). According to Charlton (2011), the final set of clusters is shown in the figure. The clusters are divided into cities and services, London suburbs, London center, London cosmopolitan, prospering UK, Coastal and Countryside, mining and manufacturing and Northern Ireland countryside. The purpose of using multivariate statistics is that UK is a multicultural country with a huge population and therefore for the census there was a need to determine methods to calculate the population with the most accurate results hence, different variables were selected, compared and then analyzed. Before the final census was declared, the standardization method, altered number of clusters and additional variables were included in it. With the help of these statistics, classification of UK is now into 3 demographic geographies. When it comes to the measurement of the population then it cannot be done with the help of mere scales. Human beings are complex in nature and their characteristics are innumerable as well. When it comes to the calculation of data the eye color, the likes and dislikes etc of a person cannot be taken into consideration. Therefore, there is a requirement of the most appropriate factors to be used in order to calculate population and its characteristics. When it comes to products then the manufacturers try to understand the demand of the people who reside in that region to successfully sale their products. For example the person who lives in UK and has fair complexion would prefer tanning cosmetics rather than the ones who reside in hot climatic countries who would like to have whitening creams instead. Hence, the demographical data is a useful thing to have. When the census is calculated then there are things appropriate and inappropriate in nature in it. Hence, the questions should be made in such a way that they are comprehensive and useful for data collection. This was made sure by the ONS as different meetings were held to include and exclude questions which were beneficial in nature. The questions were then assessed and calculated with the help of different algorithms. For this reason different clusters are made and different clusters are calculated with the help of similarities within them. 2. Conclusion Different variables were selected for the national level of census but only few of them were analyzed to be important enough to get included in the census. Those variables were Demographic Household Composition Housing Socio economic group Industry and Employment (ONS, 2011). These variables were important for the census to gather information of the residents. These labels or variables were selected after getting to know their importance and elimination of duplication of information. The demographic variable included the age group of the person, their nationality and the basic information of people living in the house. This helped in gathering the data for the nationality holders and number of people etc (Vickers and Rees, 2006, pp.390). The household composition included the information that the person is a single parent, married, unmarried, divorced or widowed. It also included the number of children. The housing variable included information of the facts that the house is the property of the people living in it or they are living on rent or on which basis. Furthermore, the size of the house, if the rooms are rented out then each person had to give in their information. The socio economic variable included the information of the qualification of the individual, their occupation whether part time or full time, their means of transport, the number of people who work from home, people undergoing from the unpaid medical care and medical illnesses. Employment variable included the information of the occupation of the individual and full time or part time work. This also included information of students. Economically inactive people, jobless people, hotel employment persons, financial employment persons, health and social workers, people related to fishing and agriculture etc. According to Charlton (2011), the k-means algorithms were used for the clustering methods. According to Vickers and Rees (2006, pp.393-394), it is the most common algorithms used in geo-demographics industry. The clusters are made on the fact that how close objects are in multidimensional space. These were then divided on whole set of OA’s. All of these variables are important for the population census and are the reason of it being the most reliable documented census. References Arabie, P., Hubert, L., J., Soete, G., 1996. Clustering and classification, World Scientific. Barrow, M., 2012. Population of Britain (UK), Woodlands Junior School. [online] Available at < http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/population.html > [Accessed 07, Feb 2012]. Charlton, J., 2011. National Statistics 2001 Area Classifications, ONS. Harris, R., Sleight, P., Webber, R., 2005. Geodemographics, GIS and neighbourhood targeting, John Wiley and Sons. Vol. 8 of Mastering GIS. ONS, 2011. Further question testing ahead of the recommendations for 2011 Census, Office for National Statistics. [online] Available at < http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/census/2011/the-2011-census/collecting-the-information/developing-the-questionnaires/index.html > [Accessed 07, Feb 2012]. ONS, 2011. What is a census? Office for National Statistics. . [online] Available at < http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/census/2011/what-is-a-census/index.html > [Accessed 07, Feb 2012]. Young, R., Cracknell, R., 2004. 2001 Census of Population Statistics for Parliamentary: Constituencies, House of Commons Library. Vickers, D., Rees, P., 2006. Creating the UK National Statistics 2001 output area classification, Royal Statistical Society. Read More