What is microdata and how does it benefit policy analysis and more targeted policy intervention? The first in a blog series on the topic, Economist Anja Heimann at Cambridge Econometrics explores the merits of microdata through a case study on over-indebtedness in the UK. Using the sixth round of the Wealth and Assets Survey (WAS) published by the Office for National Statistics, Anja discovered that using a microdata set such as the WAS enabled her to go beneath the surface of traditional aggregate statistics and identify the profile and location of people experiencing property debt in the UK at a qualitative as well as quantitative level.  

 

You can read the full blog on the Cambridge Econometrics website.