OSR strategic themes 2026–29

Our environment

OSR operates in an environment of changing demand for statistics; significant challenges for ONS, the UK’s largest statistics producer; and declining public trust in official institutions. Each of these elements, and what they mean for our work, is explored below.

The UK’s statistical system

• Demand for official statistics in the UK continues to grow, reflecting a strong need for timely, high-quality data across government, industry and the public. These demands come in the context of the emergence of new data sources and new tools, including AI models. Statistics producers are increasingly seeking to balance the demand for new high-quality statistics that provide insights with funding constraints, and are undertaking prioritisation exercises to review the volume of their outputs.
• Furthermore, all four governments in the UK have maintained an interest in using data and statistics. But there are questions around the extent to which they use data in an appropriate and transparent way.
• Statistics and data produced by government departments on issues such as health, education, crime and immigration are likely to feature prominently in political debate, including in elections in Wales and Scotland in 2026.
• There is continued interest in the use of administrative data to support policy decisions, and ongoing frustration at the pace and effectiveness of data sharing.
• There is also a growing interest in new ways of presenting statistics to support decision-making and public understanding, including dashboards, but the extent to which these new approaches serve the public good is unclear.

ONS

• There are issues with the quality of some official statistics produced by ONS, particularly in areas of economic statistics, and there has been a decline in user confidence in ONS’s ability to deliver these statistics effectively.
• In response to these concerns, and following the Devereux review, ONS has implemented a strategy to improve its economic statistics and also improve its internal culture.
• ONS also needs to recognise its role as the UK’s national statistical institute, leading on data access, methods and professional development.
• The role of the National Statistician is currently changing, with the role being separated from the role of the ONS’s Chief Executive Officer, although it is unclear whether this separation will be temporary or permanent.

Public debate

• Public concern regarding the reliability of information continues to grow, influenced by the increasing visibility of misinformation and the impact of emerging technologies, including AI. The fragmentation of the public sphere is accelerating, with more individuals accessing news and engaging in debate through diverse social media channels rather than traditional platforms. There is also a prevailing sense that public trust in official institutions is diminishing.

OSR’s crucial role

This strategic environment means that OSR’s core role remains crucial. Our vision remains that statistics should serve the public good. This vision is as important as ever.

In delivering this mission, our role is to:

• provide assurance on the Trustworthiness, Quality and Value of statistics. We must ensure that our judgements are clear and highlight strengths and limitations directly and honestly
• support and guide the statistical system
• stand up for the appropriate use of statistics in the public domain. While we recognise that we cannot address all aspects of declining public trust, we can form partnerships with other organisations, playing our part to protect integrity of evidence

Our strategic themes 2026/29

The Code of Practice for Statistics will remain at the heart of our work. The Code encompasses the standards of Trustworthiness, Quality, and Value, providing a foundation for ethical and transparent statistics and guiding producers and users across the system.

Our strategic themes focus on how we will mobilise the Code to support the public good in the current environment.

We are committed to developing an evaluation plan to track our progress against these themes, and to gather evidence on our impact and outcomes.