The government remains a major starting point for many secondary marketing research projects. Many UK government statistics are still freely available through various websites and provide a lot of detailed information about basic demographics and economic phenomena which can subsequently be supplemented with lifestyle data.

Take a look at the following UK government websites:

Office for National Statistics home page: www.statistics.gov.uk
Social Trends: www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=5748&More=N
Census 2001 Home Page: www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001
HM Treasury Home Page: www.hm-treasury.gov.uk

Questions:
Once you have become familiar with the general nature of statistics available at these sites, try tackling the following specific information needs using these statistics:

1. What evidence can you gather about the distribution of income between different groups in the UK? What would be the likely impact of any observed change on a manufacturer of luxury cars?

2. Produce a graph showing the proportion of the population that is made up of 75+ year olds. Taken together with statistics about the composition of households, what are the implications for a firm providing residential care for the elderly?

3. What trends in the ethnic composition of the UK population can you spot? Consider the implications for a financial services company in terms of the products it might offer and the most suitable locations for a branch network.