Abstract
The field of statistics provides basic numerical information on an advanced technological society. In considering the role of statistics it is necessary for us to distinguish between “statistics” (in the traditional sense) and “statistical data”. Statistical data are obtained by observation or experimentation and are analyzed by statistical methods. Statistics (in the traditional sense) are quantitative descriptions of various social populations. The concept of statistical population must be adapted to the complications and dynamic changes in current society. Because of their public nature, statistics need to be made open and available by government as a public service. A compact summary of various statistics would be most useful to the public. It is important to make available as much individual information as possible and at the same time insure that individual privacy is protected.
