Abstract

As the independent regulator for official statistics in the United Kingdom (UK), the underlying aim of the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) is that statistics will serve the public good. We embody this aim within all our regulatory activities; for example, we explicitly set standards for the UK in our Code of Practice for Statistics, and more widely OSR is dedicated to upholding the trustworthiness, quality and value of statistics and to protecting the role of statistics in public debate.

While statistics can serve the public good directly through individual use, OSR recently published a literature review on official statistics and public policy that is outlined within this paper. It posits that the use of official statistics in shaping well-informed, rigorous and robust policymaking also represents an important further dimension of how statistics can serve the public good. As such, it seeks to examine how official statistics influence policy development and implementation within the UK. The insights shared in this presentation will help statistics producers and those working in policy to ensure official statistics are used more effectively throughout the policy lifecycle. We assert that by informing policy at multiple stages, official statistics have the capacity to support better outcomes for the public, and therefore better serve the public good.

While the vital role of official statistics in public policy design and evaluation is frequently discussed in the literature, the importance of official statistics in identifying a need for new policies is discussed more sparsely. This presentation considers the role of official statistics in every phase of policy development, monitoring, and evaluation.

Statistics are useful both for those working in government, who use them to develop and implement policy, and in public debate more widely. This paper draws together a range of academic and ‘grey’ literature on the ways official statistics can and have been used, sharing examples on topics such as health, education, environment, crime, welfare, and the economy. It also identifies some of the key factors that enable or hinder the effective use of official statistics in policy. These include people factors (such as capacity, capability and collaboration) and production factors (such as user engagement and ensuring appropriate relevance, frequency, timeliness and accessibility).

The paper concludes by providing a set of recommendations for both statistics producers and policy makers, robustly informed by the available literature on official statistics and policy. By exploring the potential and the challenges of using official statistics in policy, this study offers valuable insights and practical guidance for both statistics producers and policy makers. We hope that this work will inspire more effective and impactful use of official statistics in the public interest and for the public good.