M. Engaging with users on future plans
M. ONS is planning further work to develop its thinking on how frequently migration estimates are updated. As part of this work ONS should engage with a wide range of users to ensure it:
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Understands how frequently different sets of users need updated migration estimates and why
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Understands user views on having provisional and updated estimates
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Clearly communicates the difference between the provisional and updated estimates, e.g., different data sources and/or methods used, and how this will impact different uses?
Actions taken and commitments made by ONS to meet the recommendation
ONS has engaged with a range of users including the migration expert group, individually with key stakeholders, the Government Statistical Service Migration Steering Group and it has presented at multiple conferences including the Migration Statistics User Forum. The future of population and migration statistics consultation also seeks feedback from users to further develop ONS’s understanding of user needs.
ONS told us that users have said that they are happy with the frequency of the statistics. Users have also shared with ONS their preference for fewer revisions of estimates unless there are significant changes to the estimates.
ONS has recently published a revisions policy for population and international migration statistics which supports users’ understanding of the difference between provisional and updated estimates. This revisions policy is signposted from the LTIM bulletin.
OSR’s evaluation of evidence
ONS has a good range of user engagement activities and has actively sought user views in a range of settings on the frequency of publications and on having provisional and updated estimates. Through our regular engagement with ONS, we can see that this feedback is incorporated into ONS’s decision making.
ONS’s revision policy supports users’ understanding of how ONS revises estimates. We were pleased to see that this was clearly signposted from the LTIM bulletin, ensuring that this information is easily accessible for users.