How to implement these standards

Seek analytical advice

Seek impartial, expert analytical advice and input at the earliest stage

Seek impartial, expert advice at the earliest stage on the use of statistics, data and wider analysis from professional analysts, such as analysts from the relevant statistical or analytical teams and/or Chief Statisticians/Heads of Profession for Statistics/Directors of Analysis. Analytical colleagues will be able to provide expert advice and guidance, for example on the most reliable and high-quality source to use and how to clearly communicate key context or limitations to avoid misuse.

The Standards for Official Statistics state that producers must apply impartial, professional judgement to decide methods, standards and procedures, as well as the content, timing, frequency and mode of release, for regular and ad hoc official statistics with the approval of the Chief Statistician/Head of Profession for Statistics. The advice of analytical professions should also be central to decisions about the publication of other analytical outputs such as research, economic modelling and management information where relevant.

Use published official statistics

Use the latest and most reliable published official statistics where possible

Where possible, public communications should draw on the latest and most reliable published official statistics. Access to official statistics must be limited before their public release in accordance with pre-release access legislation and must be published in line with the Standards for Official Statistics.

Publish statistics in advance

Publish statistics, data and wider analysis in advance of their use in public communications and separately from related policy and ministerial statements

Statistics, data and wider analysis not already in the public domain should be published in advance of, or at the same time as, their use in public communications. They should be published with sufficient separation from any related policy and ministerial statements to provide confidence in their impartiality.

Publishing statistics, data and wider analysis

All statistics, data and wider analysis should be released in a timely way to help the public understand the impacts of policy and hold governments to account.

The Code Principles should be applied whether the output is official statistics or other types of analysis. Voluntary application (VA) of the Code is available for any producer of data, statistics and wider analysis which are not official statistics, whether inside government or beyond, to help them produce analytical outputs that are high quality, useful for supporting decisions, and well respected.

As far as possible, data should be published in a structured form and accessible to a wide range of users. For example, following best practice for releasing statistics in spreadsheets and guidance on writing about data.

Publishing ad hoc releases

As well as routinely introducing new data into existing official statistics publications, public bodies should consider ways to be proactive and responsive in providing data to inform public debate such as making use of one-off and ad hoc releases.

Ad hoc releases are an effective way of supporting governments’ announcements in fastmoving situations where new official statistics, management information, research or analysis help explain or support the announcement. Such releases do not need to be long or technical – they are a way of making the underlying analysis available in line with the principles set out above. The underlying analysis should be detailed enough to support any claims that have been made, there is not a requirement to publish raw data unless judged necessary. As these releases would simply be clarifying figures that have been or are due to be used in announcements, they should not require grid slots.

Examples of ad hoc releases which meet these criteria include statistics relating to the Illegal Migration Bill, the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme in Scotland, returns from the UK between July and August 2024, and information published about Omicron infections during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Department for Work and Pensions also has a page dedicated to ad hoc statistical analyses.

Taking remedial action when unpublished statistics, data or wider analysis are used in public communications

If unpublished statistics, data or wider analysis are referred to publicly, they should be published as soon as possible after any statement has been made, ideally on the same day as the analysis should already be available and a grid slot should not be required, or for more complex cases at most within 72 hours.

Care should be taken when using unpublished data or analysis such as management information for internal briefings, as there is a risk of an unpublished figure ending up in the public domain. To mitigate this risk, clear warnings and caveats should be provided alongside any unpublished figures.

Support public understanding

Clearly and accurately communicate statistics, data and wider analysis to support understanding and prevent misinterpretation

Numbers are subject to interpretation, and this will inform decisions made based on them. The use of statistics, data and wider analysis in public communications should clearly communicate any key context and limitations, such as the level of uncertainty, which impact how the figures can be interpreted and understood. You should be clear about where figures come from, for example, by citing sources in publications and on social media. You should also:

• Consider how the figures have been produced and collected and whether this impacts their interpretation (e.g. whether the data are sourced from administrative or survey data, and the geographies covered).
• Consider the definitions used for the figures and any impact on how they can be interpreted (e.g. are financial data in real or cash terms?).
• Understand whether there are any notable strengths and limitations, including levels of uncertainty, which might impact interpretation or use of the figures.
• Take care to avoid selective use of figures or use of figures without appropriate context as this can lead to misuse which damages public trust. In some instances, using only the most recent figure in a time series may be unhelpful, or even misleading, if it is not representative of the wider trends or other available evidence.
• Consider ways you can reduce the risk of misinterpretation or misuse in advance – for example, consider where and how caveats are presented in your communication and whether it is necessary to ‘pre-bunk’ anticipated misuse or misinterpretations. It is often helpful to stand in the shoes of a journalist and ask yourself which single sentence you would quote in a news story. Satisfy yourself that these key lines are not likely to mislead when taken out of context. The House of Commons Library has also published excellent guidance on this topic.

OSR’s Guidance for statements about public funding provides further examples of things that should be considered in the specific context of public funding announcements.

Consider data needs in advance

Consider data needs from the outset

It is important to think about what data will be needed to understand the impacts of policies, inform communication strategies and to enable the public to hold public bodies to account. Professional advice should be sought from analysts when developing and implementing new performance measures or making changes to existing measures.

When developing policies, management systems and communications strategies, you should:

• Determine the desired outcomes and specify what evidence will be used to monitor whether the outcomes are being achieved.
• Engage with a range of users, internal and external, to understand their data needs.
• Be open about plans to develop data and analysis and share progress against them.
• Review your understanding of data needs and the data collected at regular intervals.