The Economist
September 9, 2010 5:01 AM Subscribe
I was reading the economist the other day and I came across something that had been bugging me for a while.
I was reading an economist article the other day and i came across this
" Germany’s talent for bespoke engineering and sleek cars fits well with the needs of fast-industrialising
countries and their new middle classes."
This had been bugging me for quite a while, but what are the people called who find out that, say, the middle class
is growing, or that 35% of the population is under 35 or that 70% of college students have an ipod?
And, more importantly, where do they get the information from and where can i access it?
I was reading an economist article the other day and i came across this
" Germany’s talent for bespoke engineering and sleek cars fits well with the needs of fast-industrialising
countries and their new middle classes."
This had been bugging me for quite a while, but what are the people called who find out that, say, the middle class
is growing, or that 35% of the population is under 35 or that 70% of college students have an ipod?
And, more importantly, where do they get the information from and where can i access it?
Data on middle class typically comes from pan national organisations like the OECD or the UN Statistics Department.
Data on x% of people buying organic carrots or having an ipod can come from various sources. The best sourced stuff will come from properly researched panel data, normally.
The worst stuff will come from the "I've interviewed 150 people on their views or purchasing habits, extrapolated wildly and established that we spend $2 trillion on Easter Eggs" or other easily disprovable guff.
posted by MuffinMan at 5:30 AM on September 9, 2010
Data on x% of people buying organic carrots or having an ipod can come from various sources. The best sourced stuff will come from properly researched panel data, normally.
The worst stuff will come from the "I've interviewed 150 people on their views or purchasing habits, extrapolated wildly and established that we spend $2 trillion on Easter Eggs" or other easily disprovable guff.
posted by MuffinMan at 5:30 AM on September 9, 2010
What are the people called: demographers, usually.
Where do they get their information: generally from governments.
Can you get that information too: usually.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 5:32 AM on September 9, 2010
Where do they get their information: generally from governments.
Can you get that information too: usually.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 5:32 AM on September 9, 2010
(I was lumping the UN and OECD in with proper governments)
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 5:32 AM on September 9, 2010
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 5:32 AM on September 9, 2010
In specific countries there are specific population-level surveys that are used to generate data like this, although it's usually a bit more directed. For instance, the CDC conducts the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) in the US, which covers a wide range of health and risk behaviors. You can see data here. I know about this because I work in public health, but I'm sure there are other population-level surveys that cover many other areas that the gov't would be interested in.
posted by OmieWise at 5:53 AM on September 9, 2010
posted by OmieWise at 5:53 AM on September 9, 2010
If you are talking about there the statistics that are cited in The Economist come from there is often some reference to the original sources in the article itself. But in terms of "what are the people called" - sometimes the answer is "journalists" and sometimes it is "economists" - or both. You might find it interesting to look at the outline training program that the Economist is promising its journalist staff - it sounds like they are either after technical specialist who are also journalists or journalists who spend a lot of time studying technical specialisms.
Finally - don't overlook the skills of the infographics people who specialise in the display of all that juicy information.
posted by rongorongo at 6:21 AM on September 9, 2010
Finally - don't overlook the skills of the infographics people who specialise in the display of all that juicy information.
posted by rongorongo at 6:21 AM on September 9, 2010
Is it possible that the writer was referring to the past, and not the present?
Germany was one of the first countries to industrialize, back in the 19th century, which continues to effect German lifestyles, culture, etc. to this day. It has especially had an impact on the worldwide respect for German engineering, and is the reason so many well-regarded cars have been German over the years. The rise of the middle class has had a similar impact going back even further.
The main thing that makes me think they're talking about the past is the phrase "rapid industrialization" - Germany has been an "industrialized" nation for over a hundred years at this point. Even in former East Germany, industrialization just isn't a contemporary issue.
So in this particular case, the people who find out this sort of thing are usually called historians.
posted by Sara C. at 6:41 AM on September 9, 2010
Germany was one of the first countries to industrialize, back in the 19th century, which continues to effect German lifestyles, culture, etc. to this day. It has especially had an impact on the worldwide respect for German engineering, and is the reason so many well-regarded cars have been German over the years. The rise of the middle class has had a similar impact going back even further.
The main thing that makes me think they're talking about the past is the phrase "rapid industrialization" - Germany has been an "industrialized" nation for over a hundred years at this point. Even in former East Germany, industrialization just isn't a contemporary issue.
So in this particular case, the people who find out this sort of thing are usually called historians.
posted by Sara C. at 6:41 AM on September 9, 2010
A number of people create this data. Social scientists are generally the ones who devise the data sets and figure out the target populations, governments typically fund and organize polling, etc. While you certainly have access to the government ones, some of the more tailored data sets might be harder to get a hold of (job satisfaction surveys, customer satisfaction surveys, etc.).
If you go to a university, you have a lot more access to papers that not only collect the data but analyze it as well. JSTOR, ProjectMuse, and other databases are full of research papers on specific topics. If you know how to word a question appropriately, you should be able to get exactly what you're looking for. (And if you don't know how to word a question appropriately, ask Metafilter).
posted by outlandishmarxist at 7:19 AM on September 9, 2010
If you go to a university, you have a lot more access to papers that not only collect the data but analyze it as well. JSTOR, ProjectMuse, and other databases are full of research papers on specific topics. If you know how to word a question appropriately, you should be able to get exactly what you're looking for. (And if you don't know how to word a question appropriately, ask Metafilter).
posted by outlandishmarxist at 7:19 AM on September 9, 2010
Also, market and opinion research institutes. They often run a regular "omnibus" questionnaires in which a company (or, I imagine, even a wealthy individual) can "rent a space" for a one-off question or two, if they're not interested in paying for the whole survey, fieldwork and results on their own specific product. The sample is statistically weighted to permit extrapolation to the total population.
posted by aqsakal at 7:38 AM on September 9, 2010
posted by aqsakal at 7:38 AM on September 9, 2010
I believe that a lot of this information can simply be gleaned from the census. (not iPod ownership rates, but certainly info on the middle class)
posted by fso at 9:44 AM on September 9, 2010
posted by fso at 9:44 AM on September 9, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Gyan at 5:11 AM on September 9, 2010 [1 favorite]