Myer's Index for Age Terminal Digit Preference

The question asks to identify the index used to measure the preference for specific terminal digits in age data. This phenomenon, often called 'age heaping', occurs when people tend to report ages ending in certain digits (like 0 or 5) more frequently than others.

Understanding Myer's Index

Myer's Index is specifically designed to quantify the extent of this preference for ages ending in digits 0 through 9. It compares the actual distribution of reported ages ending in each digit against a theoretical uniform distribution.

• It calculates the difference between the reported number of people at ages ending in each digit and the expected number if there were no preference.
• The index sums these differences (absolute values) to provide a measure of digit preference.
• A higher Myer's Index indicates a greater preference for certain terminal digits, suggesting potential inaccuracies in age reporting.

Comparison with Other Indices

• Whipple's Index primarily focuses on the preference for ages ending in 0 or 5.
• Bogue's Index is a measure of internal migration.
• UN Age-Sex Accuracy Index is a composite index evaluating overall age-sex data accuracy, including components beyond simple digit preference.

Therefore, Myer's Index is the most appropriate choice for measuring the extent of preference for all terminal digits.