5. Next steps

We propose that a shared understanding of the public good of government statistics will help those across the statistical system work towards a common goal: statistics that serve the public good. On a practical note, deep understanding of this topic will inform our regulatory approach, allowing our guidance to support statistics producers in making decisions that best serve the public good.

From our work to date, there are some things we know about statistics serving the public good (for example legal definitions), some things we have concluded to be true based on our experiences to date (for example the role of statistics in providing insight), and some things we have an idea about but are still trying to refine our position (for example who needs to benefit for us to say that statistics serve the public good). From this, we recognise that there is still more work to be done before a shared understanding is established.

To get to a shared understanding, we will continue developing our thinking as our evidence-base evolves and will update our stance as we learn more.