Statistics, Poverty and Civic Engagement

Learn about the significance of the Manchester Statistical Society which was founded in 1833 by a small group of local cotton merchants, clergymen, lawyers and bankers who were prominent in the civic life of Manchester and concerned to improve the appalling circumstances of the poor in the early years of the industrialising city. They carried out research on poverty by gathering statistics on education, health, employment and crime to generate debate on appropriate policy responses. The Society has been meeting ever since and can claim to be the longest operating statistical society in the world. Over time it has moved from gathering statistics to focusing on debating economic and social issues and, in its monthly meetings, it continues to invite distinguished speakers to open up debate on pressing economic and social issues of the day.

Chris O'Brien has been a member of the Manchester Statistical Society since 1980 and is a former Vice-President of the Society. He is an actuary and Director of the Centre for Risk and Insurance Studies at Nottingham University’s Business School.

John Acaster, a retired bank manager, is a long-standing member of the Manchester Statistical Society and was its President in 2007-9. He has been a governor and trustee of several charities, a member of the Council of Manchester Cathedral and a past president of the Manchester Association for Masonic Research.