Sum of Us

A history of the UK told through how we have collected statistics about ourselves - and how we decide what (and who) counts

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What has data ever done for us?

In this new book, House of Commons Library statistician Georgina Sturge explores the rich history of the moments when we have counted and measured ourselves in different ways, and the shocks and fundamental changes which have come as a result.

SUM OF US showcases how the process of deciding who and what we count can be disruptive and intrusive - and at other times it can be emancipatory. From unravelling a deadly public health crisis to exposing the tensions at the heart of what it means to describe ourselves as 'British', and from being the seed of the NHS to a spotlight on equal rights, data is a force which can turn the wheel of progress forwards as well as, sometimes, backwards.
Along the way, Sturge also tells the story of how governments and politicians came to use and rely on data for policy making, and what that means for us now, in an age more awash than ever with information.