Posts by Pete Benton

One population – five billion statistics

Categories: Census, ONS
An image showing a speech bubble with the name of the podcast and bubble designs around it

One year on from Census Day, and the most comprehensive quality assurance ever of census data in England and Wales is underway. This is to ensure the Office for National Statistics produces the best possible information for every local area. Here Pete Benton describes the scale of the work, puts a figure on the number of statistics he estimates will be published – and even admits to getting a reminder letter during his own data collection operation. 

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Building the richest picture of our population

Categories: Census, Data, migration, Population
A group of people next to the River Thames

Population statistics underpin a vast array of analysis, from unemployment rates to health outcomes, and are vital to decisions about all public services. Pete Benton explains how, this year, with new census outputs and more frequent statistics from new data sources, the ONS will deliver richer and more timely insights than ever before.   

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Providing faster and better estimates of the population

Categories: migration, ONS, Population
Image of queues at UK border terminal

The pandemic has highlighted the need for more frequent data about our population to understand the biggest challenges facing society. The ONS has been making great strides bringing together new sources of information to build the richest picture possible. As Pete Benton explains, this week we are publishing the improvements we have made, the limitations in the estimates, and our ambitions to refine the work in 2022.

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Population and social statistics in a rapidly changing world

Categories: Census, Office for National Statistics, ONS, Population
Blackpool Tower lit up in purple

The response to the coronavirus pandemic has been driven by data. Never before have statistics been so crucial in informing decisions that affect us all. Here Pete Benton explains how the ONS will be maximising the value of the data collected from Census 2021 and how it aims to provide ever more timely statistics moving forwards.

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New survey results provide first snapshot of the current number of COVID-19 infections in England

Categories: Coronavirus, ONS

Understanding how COVID-19 is spreading across the population is crucial to controlling the pandemic and its effects. A large study jointly led by the ONS, in partnership with the Universities of Oxford and Manchester, Public Health England and Wellcome Trust, is tracking infections within a representative sample of people of all ages across England. As the initial estimates are released, Pete Benton, Director of Population and Public Policy Operations, explains what they mean, why there are important and how to compare this survey to other COVID-19 estimates.

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