‘It’s an ugly, ugly picture’

Stephen Gordon reviews but some of the dominoes the 2011 census is set to topple.

These are only the most visible manifestations, and readers are encouraged to add their own personal favorites to this list. What is even more discouraging is that even if the 2016 census is run properly, the problems associated with the 2011 census can’t ever be fixed. Time series data are constructed by piecing together different survey results, and a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. In many important ways, our history is about to become a lot shorter.