This workshop will be led by Jonathan Wakeford from Oxford University Press and will introduce attendees to Social Explorer. The workshop will provide an overview of the database, the information contained within it, how to run searches, produce maps and provide an opportunity to ask questions.  

”Social Explorer is an online research tool designed to provide quick and easy access to current and historical census data and demographic information. The easy-to-use web interface lets users create maps and reports to better illustrate, analyse and understand demography and social change. In addition to being a comprehensive data resource, Social Explorer also offers features and tools to meet the needs of both demography experts and novices alike. 

This interactive website includes the entire US census history from 1790 to 2010, the American Community Survey (ACS) from 2005 to 2012, the Religious Congregations and Membership Study (RCMS) from 1980 to 2010 (the most complete census available on religion in the US), InfoGroup data on religious congregations in the US for 2009 and 2010, and carbon emissions data for 2002 from the Vulcan Project. US Presidential, senatorial, congressional and gubernatorial election data is also available for map presentation.
 
In addition, the combined United Kingdom Census 2011 data for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is now available, as well as Irish religion and population data from 1911 to 2001.
 
Overall, the site contains 40 billion data elements, 500,000 variables, and more than 25,000 interactive maps."