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During and after publication: spot and respond
After publication, focus on recognising issues early, assessing their likely impact and choosing a proportionate response. The Government Communication Service’s RESIST approach can help structure this work.
Recognise the issue:
Check whether claims about the statistics are accurate, missing context or using figures in a way that could mislead users.
Use early warning:
Monitor media coverage, social media, stakeholder feedback and user queries where the topic is sensitive or likely to spread.
Turn evidence into insight:
Summarise what users are saying, identify common misunderstandings and explain the likely audience impact.
Assess impact:
Consider how serious the issue is, how widely it is spreading, who may be affected and whether it could affect understanding, trust or decisions.
Respond strategically:
Choose a proportionate response with communications colleagues, from adding context or clarifying directly through to public correction or escalation.
Review effectiveness:
Check whether clarification or correction was picked up, whether misunderstanding reduced and whether further action is needed.
Engage openly with challenge and scrutiny
Treat questions, criticism and alternative interpretations as evidence that can help improve the statistics. Respond with evidence, context and proportionate explanation. Distinguish whether the issue is about data quality, methods, communication, interpretation or use, and involve communications colleagues or external experts where they can help explain the evidence clearly and credibly.