Communicating uncertainty in GDP estimates

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Communicating uncertainty in GDP estimates

The UK economy has been affected by some unprecedented events in recent years, with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic followed immediately by the huge rise in energy costs due to the war in the Ukraine. For the ONS, these have increased the challenge of producing economic statistics that are both fast and accurate. Dramatic changes in the underlying data tend to bring added uncertainty to our initial estimates. As Craig McLaren explains, we are exploring ways to better portray this in our statistical outputs.   

Our changing population is there for all to see 

Categories: Education, Health, migration, Office for National Statistics, ONS, Population, Wellbeing
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From finishing studies to entering the workforce, from getting married to earning the most money – everyone’s journey through adulthood is different. However, we can use a range of data to explore when key events in life are most likely to happen. Rich Pereira looks at how these milestones of adulthood have changed over the past decade and how society is shifting.

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Inclusive Income: How COVID-19 affected our new measures

Categories: Data, Economy, Office for National Statistics, ONS, Research
Image of grandparents playing with a baby

Our headline measure of the size of the economy, Gross Domestic Product, is produced rapidly and relied on widely. So it’s no surprise that when the pandemic hit in 2020 we saw a focus on the rapid fall in output it revealed. But how does our understanding change if we take a wider perspective on the economy and account for the sustainability of economic activity? Here Cliodhna Taylor looks at some wider metrics that we have just published for that period.

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Measuring Climate Impacts on Health

Categories: Environment, Health, International, ONS, Population, Wellbeing
Tree with Right hand side full of leaves on health patch of grass and the other half is dead with no leaves on a dried up patch of mud

Climate related emergencies have made frequent headlines over the last few years, from record heatwaves and wildfires, to increased flood risk – but how can we measure how our climate, and the changes we are seeing, are affecting us?
Without this evidence, we cannot know the true health burden of climate change. This is where the ONS Climate & Health Project fits in – a four-year project, funded by Wellcome, which we began in February 2022. As we pass the project mid-way point, Gillian Flower reflects on the achievements so far, and the wider implications of this important work.

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