Users of statistics
Key facts about users of statistics
The Code of Practice for Statistics states that users should be at the centre of decision making about statistics
Users of statistics are varied, and include individual citizens, organisations and governments. Users have a key role in providing challenge to the statistical system and producers have a responsibility to seek views and respond to them
It is only through regular dialogue between producers and users that the statistical system can ensure that official statistics remain responsive to user needs and serve the public good
User engagement can be at a team, organisation, or system level
Users of statistics
Statistics are valuable where they support society’s need for information, including both public use and policy development and evaluation. Producers have a responsibility to communicate statistics in a way that is accessible to different types of users. Producers should also ensure that data quoted publicly, for example in parliament or the media, is made available to all in a transparent way.
Users play a key role in the system beyond just access to data; it is only through regular dialogue between producers and users that the system can ensure that official statistics remain responsive to user needs and serve the public good.
This is reinforced in the Code of Practice for Statistics (the Code) Standard 8 which states that ‘producers must put users at the centre of decision making about the statistics’.
The first UK Statistics Assembly took place on Wednesday 22 January 2025. Delivered in partnership between the UK Statistics Authority and the Royal Statistical Society, it sought to bring together the widest possible range of users and producers of official statistics to discuss the priorities, opportunities and challenges facing the statistical system in the short to medium term.
The Assembly was established in response to a recommendation in the Independent Review of the UK Statistics Authority. It was attended by over 500 participants (in-person and online), including from central, local and devolved governments, business and industry, academia, civil society and charities, to discuss and advise on the statistical and data priorities for the UK.
The Authority asked Professor David Hand, Chair of the National Statistician’s Expert User Advisory Committee, to produce an independent report distilling the discussions and recommendations from the day.
The Assembly exemplified that there are different types of users, and it is important that the system hears from a wide range of them through the different stages of development and production. Users have a key role in providing challenge to the system and producers have a responsibility to seek views and respond to them. Some types of users include:
- citizens
- voluntary organisations
- media
- business
- academics
- analysts from across and outside government
- policy makers
- Parliamentarians
They may be:
- technical experts
- expert analysts
- interested members of the public
- survey respondents
- first time users of government statistics
They may be using statistics to:
- conduct research
- evaluate policies
- plan and allocate finances
- find answers to queries on topical matters such as health or education
- search for government statistics
Users of statistics can engage with producers through platforms such as StatsUserNetwork. StatsUserNetwork is a forum run by GSS for users and producers of official statistics to share knowledge, ask questions and discuss all things data. It is a new version of the online discussion forum, previously known as StatsUserNet. The forum was reworked and now has a number of new features including:
- better profile creation to connect users with similar interests
- reorganising the site by groups, so users can focus on the statistical topics that are important to them
- options for users to publish/share information in a variety of ways, from simple forum comments to content-rich blogs