About the Department of Social Statistics
The Department of Social Statistics at The University of Manchester has a long history of excellence in social science. The Centre for Census and Survey Research (CCSR) started this important work, and has led to new methods in social sciences for many years.
CCSR brought together researchers from different fields. These fields include sociology, economics, demography, political science, geography, and psychology. They are all committed to using data to understand society.
In 2009, the University established the Department of Social Statistics within the School of Social Sciences. This department focuses on teaching and research in quantitative social science. From the outset, the department embodied Manchester’s distinctive approach: combining methodological rigour with a concern for substantive social issues and public policy relevance. Professor Ian Plewis was the first Head of Department, helping shape its early direction and build its strong reputation.
The department has a strong link with the Cathie Marsh Institute for Social Research (CMI), highlighting its important role in Manchester's quantitative research community. It has continued to expand and evolve, fostering innovation in statistical methodology, survey research, and analysing social and economic data.
A key part of the department’s mission has always been capacity building. This means training many generations of researchers in quantitative methods.
The Social Research Methods and Statistics (SRMS) programme started in 2000. One of the first in the UK, it offers advanced training in methods for social scientists from many fields. This tradition helped the department become a national leader in the Q-Step initiative. This initiative aims to improve data literacy and analytical skills in the social sciences.
Today, the Department of Social Statistics remains an internationally recognised centre for research and teaching. The staff help improve areas like causal inference, survey methods, social data science, and measuring social and economic inequality. Social Statistics has a long history and looks to the future, helping us understand and improve the social world with data.
Understand people. Shape policy. Change the world.
Social statistics help us make sense of the world around us: from how we live and work to how we learn, spend, and age. Using data, we can uncover how individuals, organisations, and economies behave and how they respond to change.
The United Nations and national governments rely on social statistics to understand inequalities in health, education, and employment. At Manchester, our researchers and students go further. They use advanced statistical and computer tools to study demographic change and health inequalities. They also explore financial decision-making, social networks, and the dynamics of political attitudes, economies, and societies.
Measure change and impact
Statistics aren’t just numbers: they’re evidence for action.
We want to:
- Reduce poverty;
- improve education;
- stabilise markets;
- support ageing populations;
- design fairer tax systems.
To achieve this, we must first measure these challenges accurately. Then we can evaluate how policies or economic shocks affect households, firms, and communities.
Our researchers use causal inference to identify what truly drives social and economic change, distinguishing correlation from cause. With agent-based modelling, we simulate how people and organisations interact in complex markets. This shows how small behaviour changes can lead to significant financial or social results.
In finance, we analyse how information, uncertainty, and networks shape investment behaviour and inequality. In social network analysis, we explore how relationships influence career trajectories, innovation, and the diffusion of ideas.
By combining rigorous quantitative methods with real-world application, social statistics connects people and policy, data and decisions, markets and society. Whether studying how consumers respond to inflation, how families adapt to demographic change, or how education influences economic opportunity, our work transforms data into understanding and understanding into impact.
Using probability, modelling, and careful reasoning, we find answers based on data, not assumptions. This helps you understand people, shape policy, analyse markets, and ultimately change the world.
Why choose to study Social Statistics at Manchester?
At The University of Manchester, our Social Statistics courses will teach you to analyse real-world data. You will also design important research and help make decisions based on evidence.
You can hear from our graduates about how studying Social Statistics at Manchester helped their careers after University. Graduates from the MSc in Social Research Methods and Statistics (SMRS) have gone on to pursue careers in a wide range of sectors. Read more about what our Social Statistics courses can do for your career on our careers and employability page.
Explore our undergraduate, master’s, and PhD programmes in Social Statistics, and discover how you can use data to make a difference.
