This paper forms part of the first phase of the Census Transformation programme. It provides a first broad look at the potential for administrative data to produce the long-form (social and economic) information currently provided by the census. This paper identifies administrative data sources that are related to these census topics, and uses quality measures to assess how likely these sources are to satisfy the information needs currently met by the census.
The purpose of this paper is not to make final decisions about the potential use of administrative data for census information, but rather to:
- provide an early indication of the likely ability of existing administrative data sources to produce census long-form information
- provide reference information about administrative data sources using key quality measures
- guide decisions about where to direct more in-depth analysis
- highlight any areas of considerable potential for using administrative data in the next census.