The international community has come together to develop the Sustainable Development Goals – a set of worldwide targets for assessing human progress and eliminating poverty. This month some of the world’s leading development experts visited ONS to see how we’re contributing to this and other vital international work. Matt Steel was there to greet them.
Read more on Shining a light: new ways to measure global development
This weekend the clocks go forward in the UK as we sacrifice an hour of sleep in the morning for an extra hour of sunlight in the evening. ONS has been exploring the link between how we spend our time and our personal well-being. As Chris Payne happily explains, it’s a case of less work and more play.
Read more on Time for a change?
The latest population estimates from ONS bring greater clarity to the latest population changes in areas across England and Wales. As Neil Park explains, it’s the result of using new and better data to better measure the local impact of important factors like migration.
Read more on Population estimates: Improved methods, better statistics, better decisions
Across government, the analytical professions have come together to work as a function and build capability in analysis to support decision making. Collectively the expertise of 15,000 scientists, engineers and analysts can have a greater impact than the sum of their parts, as Gareth Clancy explains.
Read more on Introducing the new Analysis Function in government: Working together for better decisions
After 70 years of production Gross Domestic Product (GDP) remains the single most closely watched economic indicator. The success of government economic policy is judged against it and it’s the yardstick for the scale of public spending and debt. As Rob Kent-Smith explains, calculating GDP requires the informed balancing of sometimes contradictory data sources.
Read more on Getting the balance right – how ONS creates a single estimate of GDP