Knowing the exact number of people whose death involved coronavirus (COVID-19) is of great importance, but it’s not a simple question. Sarah Caul introduces the provisional new figures published on 31 March and explains why the different ways of counting used across the government give different answers.
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How and why the population is changing is a crucial part of the ONS’s work since it helps to inform decisions that affect people’s lives in the UK. Here Liz McKeown explains why understanding the structure of the population, although always vital, is particularly important right now.
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Eradicating forced labour, and ending human trafficking, are two key parts of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Professor Sir Bernard Silverman is a leading academic and public servant who has been working on modern slavery for the past decade. Here he explains why the latest work of the Office for National Statistics is crucial in the fight against a brutal crime which denies people their dignity, safety and freedom.
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Alongside the traditional measures of prosperity like GDP, the ONS is at the forefront of an international movement that’s developing new and alternative economic indicators that go beyond simple financial value. Central to this work are the plans to develop new ways of measuring ‘human capital’ that have been unveiled today. Here John Marais makes the case for measuring human capital better.
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How do we reduce the millions of tonnes of food wasted every year? Can we better support development in African countries by investing in UK businesses? How do we tackle digital exclusion? What about increasing volunteering with the police? And what on earth does any of this have to do with Michael Faraday? Jonathan Athow explains.
Read more on Walking in Michael Faraday’s footsteps