In our latest guest blog, Rochelle Tractenberg explores how ethical statistics and the refreshed Code of Practice can help build public trust this World Statistics Day…
Every five years, World Statistics Day celebrates statistics’ and data science’s global contributions to evidence-informed decisions, democratic accountability, human dignity and flourishing, and sustainable development.
The theme of this World Statistics Day 2025 is “quality statistics and data for everyone”, which coincides with the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR)’s refreshed Code of Practice for Statistics. The timing and orientation of the refreshed Code both highlight its place in promoting ethical statistics practice to help achieve this goal for the people of the UK.
While high-quality and widely available statistics and data certainly exist and are to be celebrated, these don’t just happen; they require diligence, care and competence at all levels by professionals in statistics and data science. World Statistics Day 2025 presents an opportunity to consider how we can increase the visibility of this commitment and work, and their accessibility and utility for everyone.
An under-appreciated challenge to public trust in official statistics and the statistical profession is “drift” – which refers to changes in the properties of data over time. Drift can occur in data source, associated meaning, and ability to accurately represent a concept. Drift can mean that data become less reliable or less consistent over time, impacting the value and trustworthiness of the data. As such, regularly reviewing statistics to see if they meet relevant standards – and critically, if they do not – is crucial to promoting, and in some cases renewing, trust.
I was excited to hear about the refreshed Code of Practice for Statistics – the guiding framework for all official statistics in the UK – which will be live on the Code website from 3 November 2025.
OSR has updated the Code to include broader support for anyone working with or communicating statistics, and to reflect technological advances. The Code’s core principles – Trustworthiness, Quality and Value – have not changed, but its guidelines have been made clearer and more relevant. All official statistics in the UK must meet the requirements of the Code to ensure that they serve the public good. Those that do so are granted accredited official statistics status, indicating that the statistics, and the underlying data, are of high quality. The Code is also useful for those working with data and statistics who want to voluntarily apply it as a practical framework to increase public confidence in statistical work. It can help anyone build public trust in statistics and data science.
Engagement with the Code is worthwhile at the start of, and regularly throughout, data collection and analysis, for anyone who wishes to more actively and transparently step onto the path towards ethical statistical practice. To see my full reflections on building trust in statistics and data science through ethical practices, and how the Code can contribute, please see my recent article. For additional perspectives on the importance of World Statistics Day, please see the International Statistics Institute’s statement.
Rochelle E. Tractenberg is a tenured professor at Georgetown University (Washington, DC). Her applied ethics work focuses on strengthening trustworthiness in statistics and data science across research and policy settings. A biostatistician since 1997, she serves on the UK National Statistician’s Data Ethics Advisory Committee (NSDEC), ISI Advisory Board on Ethics, and the Association of Computing Machinery Committee on Professional Ethics. She has written two books on ethical practice, and has contributed to standards for statistics, data science, and mathematics – as well as the forthcoming UN guide, Ethics in Official Statistics: Foundations and practices to foster public trust.