This paper provides a brief survey of current microdata sources suitable for national and regional level migration studies within the USA, Britain and Canada. Of the three national-level census products reviewed, the United States Public Use Microdata Samples (PUMS) are shown to be superior in terms of geographical resolution, the number of individual and household characteristics available, and sample size, while the UK and Canadian microdata provide a shorter time interval over which to study migration. PUMS data provide the focal point of this paper and the standard by which the British and Canadian data are judged. The paper therefore has a dual purpose: it provides information to migration analysts on a very useful but relatively little used source of microdata and it highlights differences between the collection and release of microdata in the three countries. The latter is particularly pertinent to the UK where discussions are underway regarding the format in which the UK microdata sample, the Sample of Anonymised Records (SAR), is released from the census of 2001.
Area was established in 1969 as a bulletin for the Institute of British Geographers (IBG), but has evolved into a full academic journal of the Royal Geographical Society (with the IBG). The mission of Area is to publish the very best of geographical research and scholarship on all aspects of human and physical geography. Its particular emphasis is on the presentation of innovative and fresh ideas that move the discipline forward and make the journal accessible to new researchers (including postgraduate students and academics at an early stage of their research careers). It achieves this by publishing shorter articles that focus on topical issues, new research results, methodology theory and practice, and academic commentaries and debates.
The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) is the Learned Society representing Geography and geographers. It was founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical science and has been among the most active of the learned societies ever since. The largest geographical society in Europe, and one of the largest in the world, the RGS-IBG operates at a regional, national and international scale. The Society supports research, education and training, together with the wider public understanding and enjoyment of Geography. With its focus on society and environment, Geography is one of the most popular subjects in formal education and highly relevant to both life-long learning and fulfillment from travel.
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© 1996 The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers)