Statistik#

Statistics, numerical description of mass phenomena ("descriptive statistics"). Developed in the 18th century as a branch of the administration and discipline of political science in the wake of Mercantilism and the Enlightenment. In Austria, its roots are found in the administrative reforms initiated by Maria Theresia and Joseph II. The earliest objectives were usually Censuses (held in Austria for the first time in 1754) and the collection of data from different branches of the administration. In the course of the 19th century statistical offices were set up in most developed countries ( Central Statistical Office, Austrian) to collect and compile administrative data concerning the population and economic activity. Soon after 1850 international cooperation was started in the form of statistical congresses; nowadays international comparability of data is ensured by the statistical activities of the UN, OECD and in particular the European Union (regarding its member states). Efficiency was greatly enhanced by punched-card technology (first used for population censuses in Austria and the USA in 1890) and the use of EDP. Universities mostly teach statistics as a science closely linked with mathematics and probability calculus ("analytical statistics"). The Federal Statistics Act of 2000 is meant to ensure that the public has easier access to statistical data (via Internet etc.).

In Austria the bulk of statistical work is within the purview of the federal government and entrusted to Statistik Oesterreich, which was created out of the Austrian Central Statistical Office in 2000. The provinces and municipalities also conduct statistical surveys, as do the various chamber organisations.

Chief subjects of statistical surveys are population and housing censuses, workshop and office censuses (since 1869, every ten years since 1951, last census in 1991), births, deaths and marriages, health statistics, school and university statistics, microcensuses (household polls, censuses of farming and forestry enterprises, livestock censuses, crop statistics, production and service statistics, the consumer price index, foreign trade, tourism, national accounts and environmental data.