Publisher's Synopsis
This monograph reports the results of a research project investigating local social polarization in Britain, 1971-1991, using the censuses of population. It looks briefly at the different approaches which have been taken towards the study of local polarization, highlighting the difficulties associated with, first, the reporting of complex findings to a media interested in a simple story, and second, the difficulties inherent in the statistical analysis of polarization. After discussing the methods for the production of comparable census data and the methodology for producing the graphs and tables, the authors then go on to present their findings of the existence and extent (or otherwise) of social polarization in Britain. The monograph concludes with a discussion of the findings, and briefly suggests further areas for research using contrasting methodologies.
