Official statistics are often under-rated, under-valued and over-criticised. Discuss.

In the modern world, official statistics cover the economy, crime, unemployment, education etc. Official statistics, such as the GHS, represent an extensive source of data on changing attitudes to particular social issues; they also show trends and patterns within a society. Official statistics are data collected or sponsored by the government and its agencies. However, they have been greatly criticised, many sociologist argue that official statistics lack validity and reliability, therefore cannot be an accurate picture of society….(short extract)