NCRM videos

Why is it so hard to get detailed counts of UK migration? - Professor Dave Martin

David Martin

01-12-2017

The present UK government has set an objective to "reduce net migration to the tens of thousands", which might at first glance seem a fairly vague target. There are ongoing debates, for example, about whether such targets are achievable or even desirable and what should actually be counted in the first place, for example whether overseas students should be included or not. Why is it so hard to agree on the answers to such apparently basic questions about how many migrants there are in the UK? The reality is that we have neither a population registration system nor a systematic way of counting migrants in or out of the country. In this talk, we will explore some of the principles and puzzles of UK migration figures - hoping at least to recognise more clearly what we can and cannot measure! This talk was part of the Hope & Hops: the science of society event organised by NCRM, CPC and ADRC at the University of Southampton. This event was included in the the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2017. bit.ly/HopeAndHops