Official statistics — hard vs soft, strengths and limitations
Hard statistics (births, deaths, crime, unemployment) are based on recorded events; soft statistics (attitudes, health-seeking behaviour) are estimates. Both have validity issues.
Real World
UK official crime statistics consistently under-record sexual offences because many victims do not report to police — the Crime Survey for England and Wales estimates true rates are far higher, exposing the gap between recorded and actual crime.
Exam Focus
Always state that official statistics are socially constructed, not neutral facts — apply this to the specific statistic named in the question to gain AO2 marks.
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