A new interactive resource to help people understand the size, composition and outcomes of local migrant populations has been launched today by the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford.
The Migration Observatory Local Data Guide, provides easy-to-navigate data on migrant populations and their outcomes in local authorities across the UK, drawing on a wide range of different official statistics. It provides information on short-term and long-term immigration, the size of the foreign-born population, places of origin, asylum status, international students, and outcomes such as language skills and employment rates.
The data guide has been designed with world-renowned data visualisation experts, and is aimed primarily at users working in government, local media and civil society organisations, but also provides valuable information for anyone with an interest in the population of their local area.
Dr Marina Fernandez Reino, Researcher at the Migration Observatory, said: “There is a dizzying array of data sources on aspects of migration at the local level, scattered across different government websites, from population estimates to schools data and visa figures. This tool brings it all together in one place, helps people understand which data sources to use, and when.”
“These local data points really are critical. So much of the time, migration data about the UK is presented at the national level. But it is in the towns and cities where people actually live, that the effects of migration are felt, and that the process of integration takes place.”
The data guide provides straightforward visualisations that can be used to find data for a particular local authority, compare it to other local areas, and understand common pitfalls to avoid when using local-level data.
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