Booth CharlesJames

Booth CharlesJames

(1840-1916) a businessman, shipowner and social reformer who recognized the need for systematic and reliable data to support the case for social reform. He was the first person to develop and use the SURVEY METHOD to collect data on POVERTY and income. His statistical findings were published in Life and Labour of the People (1889-91) and Life and Labour of the People in London (1891-1903). He was particularly concerned about the aged poor and was influential in the creation of the Old Age Pensions Act, 1908. See also SOCIAL SURVEY, SOCIAL ADMINISTRATION, ROWNTREE.

Collins Dictionary of Sociology, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2000