On May 23, our school held the "Statistical Survey Practice and Analysis of People's Livelihood Data" lecture—a session on frontier industry developments for Master of Applied Statistics students—in the A644 Lecture Hall of the Leijun Science and Technology Building. The lecture featured two guest speakers: Yu Nan and Yang Lin, external mentors for the Master of Applied Statistics program and experts from the Hubei Survey Organization of the National Bureau of Statistics. Centered on the two major themes of household surveys and labor force surveys, the event delved into the application of statistical surveys in serving national governance and safeguarding people's livelihoods. A total of 47 participants, including faculty and students from the school as well as researchers from related fields both within and outside the university, took part in the activity.
Yu Nan, Director of the Household Income and Expenditure Survey Department at the Hubei Survey Organization of the NBS, delivered a presentation titled "Practice and Reflection on Actively Utilizing Household Survey Data in the New Era." She systematically analyzed the functions and challenges of government statistical work. By comparing the similarities and differences in the responsibilities of the Survey Organization and the Bureau of Statistics, she emphasized the central role of household surveys in monitoring the progress toward common prosperity and serving Party and government decision-making. She also provided an in-depth interpretation of the important reference value of key indicators, such as urban and rural residents' income and consumption in Hubei, for high-quality development. Addressing the current challenges facing household surveys, Yu Nan pointed out the impact of the big data era on traditional statistical methods and proposed countermeasures such as strengthening data sharing and advancing the construction of a statistical cloud platform. Using practical issues like public perception bias regarding "income growth" and the income gap among rural residents in Hubei as examples, she highlighted that measures such as policy support, employment assistance, and transfer payments can help bolster income growth for people's livelihoods.
Yang Lin, Director of the Labor Force Survey Department and Senior Statistician at the Hubei Survey Organization of the NBS, gave a presentation titled "An Informal Discussion on Labor Force Surveys." She comprehensively outlined the framework of labor force surveys from dimensions such as survey scope, frequency, and sampling methods. She particularly emphasized the standardized requirements for surveyors' responsibilities, underscoring the importance of six key principles—"following guidance," "conducting door-to-door surveys," "independent reporting," and "data confidentiality"—in ensuring data authenticity. During the interactive session, Yang Lin engaged in lively discussions with faculty and students on topics such as "whether long-term illness counts as unemployment" and "whether retirees are included in unemployment statistics," enhancing the participants' understanding and awareness of labor force surveys.
This lecture, grounded in frontline experience from national statistical surveys and integrating professional theory with practical cases, served as a bridge for dialogue between faculty, students, and industry experts. In the future, our school will continue to invite industry experts into the classroom, further aligning the Master of Applied Statistics program with societal needs and injecting new vitality into talent cultivation.
(Contributors: Liu Yingjun, Wang Ziyan Photographer: Tong Zheng)
