Gaining Business Advantage From Census Data - New Publication Helps Maximise Competitive Edge

Date: 3 June 2004

The Market Research Society's (MRS) Census and Geodemographics Group has today announced the publication of a unique guide to the 2001 Census. Entitled 2001 Census: Essential Information for Gaining Business Advantage, the book provides comprehensive information on all aspects of the 2001 Census to help data users gain maximum knowledge from the wealth of detail that the Census results have provided.

Written by leading experts in the fields of statistics, business, academia and international market research, the new guide is essential reading for anyone involved in data mining, geodemographics and market and social research. Chris Denham, Head of Census Output and Geography, Office for National Statistics, has provided the foreword to the book.

The 2001 Census had several major innovations, including the incorporation of new postcode-based Census geography and social grading, making the data it has provided more detailed than any previously available. This heightened level of information can help companies to target marketing campaigns more accurately or identify areas for new branch openings with greater precision than ever before.

In addition, this is the first time that Census data have been made freely available to everyone, making it essential for research practitioners to remain up-to-speed on the uses of the new information if they are to maintain their competitive edge.

2001 Census: Essential information for gaining business advantage explains how the information provided by these innovations can be strategically applied to commercial decisions. Chapter topics include 'Why the census is so important to commercial companies', 'How to get hold of the data' and 'Advanced uses and the future'. For regular users of the Census, the book explains how these innovations will make it even easier to base decisions on accurate and accessible information. For newcomers to the Census, the book will provide a thorough introduction to the full range of its possibilities.

By clarifying the 2001 Census methodologies and classifications and demonstrating their application to business strategies, the book demonstrates how Census data can be applied to target specific markets, how products can be tailored accordingly, and how customer behaviour can be more accurately predicted.

Barry Leventhal, Chair of the MRS Census and Geodemographics Group, said, "This is an essential publication for anyone involved with using Census data to influence business decisions. The information from the 2001 Census is more detailed and more widely available than the information from any previous Census, making accessing and understanding the data invaluable to anyone who has a need to understand consumers, markets and social groupings. This book is a user-friendly and comprehensive reference tool that no business can afford to be without."

2001 Census: Essential information for gaining business advantage is published by TSO, ISBN 0 11 621652 2. Copies cost £35.00 and MRS members will receive a 15% discount. For more information or to order a copy, visit www.mrs.org.uk/publications/censusguide.htm.

Note for editors

The MRS is the world's largest international membership organisation for professional researchers and others involved or interested in market, social or opinion research.
The Census and Geodemographics Group (CGG) is an advisory group of the MRS.
For more information on The MRS, its activities, events and training programme, please visit its website at www.mrs.org.uk.

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