What Is Social Statistics?
Data drives effective social work. It gives social workers important information on some of society’s biggest issues, such as homelessness and health inequality, and helps them develop strategies to address challenges. Without reliable data, programs to reduce food insecurity or increase access to mental health support can be aimed at the wrong targets.
Social statistics provides social workers with hard numbers to define the scope and severity of social issues and support evidence-based practice. Advanced degree programs like a Doctor of Social Work teach students how to use social statistics to develop social programs and initiatives that can positively affect communities and their residents.
Social Statistics at a Glance
Social statistics is the use of quantitative methods to study social structures and human behavior. Social workers use this information to assess the impact of specific issues on different communities and demographics as well as the population at large. Applying quantitative measures to assess social issues results in concrete evidence that can drive advocacy and change.
Using social statistics helps social workers establish a baseline for the extent or severity of a certain problem and monitor how it changes over time — particularly in response to specific programs and initiatives. This is critical to determining whether social work policies and programs are achieving their goals or need to be adjusted.
Statistical analysis helps social workers meet the primary goals of the field: to help those in need and improve society. It is crucial to designing and evaluating effective social work policies.
How Social Statistics Works
Social workers use a range of data sources and analytical methods to extract meaningful information from raw numbers.
Data Gathering Methods
Social statistics includes information from multiple sources, which helps social workers analyze broader segments of society. Key methods of collecting data include:
- Surveys
- Interviews
- Focus groups
- Existing data from other sources, including:
- Census data
- Public opinion polls
- Statistics reported by government agencies
- Academic research papers
- Business research projects
Data Methodologies
Once information is gathered, social workers analyze its meaning using several different methodologies. Some of these include:
- Regression analysis: Examines the relationship between different variables. For instance, it can demonstrate correlations between income and education level.
- Multivariate analysis: Simultaneously compares three or more variables to identify relationships. Social workers can use this method to study how multiple factors affect a specific outcome — such as whether race, education level, and income contribute to increased health risks.
- Analysis of Variance (ANOVA): Determines differences between three or more unrelated groups to find correlations. For instance, it could be used to look for connections between health history, employment, social engagement, and individual depression.
What Do Social Statistics Measure?
Social workers can use social statistics to study a range of areas. The following are some examples.
1. Health and Public Welfare
Social determinants of health (SDOH) are non-medical factors that can affect individuals’ health, functioning, and wellbeing. These include:
- Health care access and quality
- Education access and quality
- Economic stability
- Neighborhood infrastructure
- Social and community support
Social workers use data to assess how each of these factors affects people’s daily lives and behaviors, and use that information to design social programs. For instance, identifying a correlation between limited access to grocery stores and health risks like obesity and heart disease can suggest ways to improve outcomes by increasing access.
2. Crime and Justice
Social statisticsare a fundamental element of understanding the relationships between law enforcement, crime, criminal justice, and population groups. Social workers can use data to identify correlations between specific demographics and criminal justice system outcomes like incarceration rates. These findings can uncover inequalities and suggest ways to advocate for change.
Social workers can also use this data to work toward goals beyond crime and justice, using crime rates, population demographics, and socioeconomic inequalities to highlight systemic discrimination in societal structures.
3. Quality of Life
Social workers use social statistics to understand certain factors that affect quality of life. This can illuminate how factors like income, education level, and civic engagement relate to education quality, housing affordability, and community building. Data on public welfare and criminal justice can help social workers assess the different ways issues like gun violence impact a community’s sense of wellbeing.
Use Data to Inspire Change
Social statistics provides the data that social workers use to work toward a fairer society and implement evidence-based practice. But raw information is useless without skilled professionals to analyze it and use it to develop informed policies.
Tulane School of Social Work’s Doctor of Social Work program is designed to help students cultivate an advanced understanding of research methods and policy evaluation, equipping them with the tools to promote positive change. With coursework in applied social statistics and quantitative methods, the program teaches students how to gather and analyze data, and turn information into social programs that address real-world needs.
Learn how Tulane University can help you become a leader in a crucial field.
Recommended Readings
How You Can Build Social Work Skills for Leaders in a DSW
The Importance of a CSWE Accredited Program in Social Work
Transformative Leadership in Social Work
Sources:
Grand Challenges of Social Work, Home
Healthy People 2030, Social Determinants of Health
Indeed, 15 Top Skills for Social Workers (And How to Improve Them)
National Association of Social Work, Types of Social Work
Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development, Measuring Well-Being and Progress
Pew Research Center, “What the Data Says About Crime in the U.S.”
Simply Psychology, “What Is an ANOVA Test in Statistics: Analysis of Variance”