Data Collection

The importance of ethics and privacy in producing statistics for the public good

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At a time of exponential growth in data of all kinds, the potential for data science to improve public services and achieve better health outcomes has never been greater. But we also have a responsibility to ensure that those data are used ethically and protect individual privacy. Starting with the UK parliament’s objective for the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to produce and publish statistics for the public good, the latest episode of ‘Statistically Speaking’ explores how this is being delivered in practice, while looking at the safeguards in place to protect personal data, and the public’s changing perception of acceptable data use.

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Supporting global goals in Ghana

The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals offer a blueprint to global prosperity. ONS is leading an effort to provide our international partner countries with an open-source reporting platform for them. Christopher Norris, who recently worked with the Ghana Statistical Service, reports on how the African nation is working to get this vital data online.

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Keeping the census relevant in a changing world

In an era when ‘national treasures’ come and go, it’s rare to find something that’s earned the public’s trust and affection generation after generation. But every 10 years, residents in England and Wales take the time to participate in the census. Ian Cope explains how we’re already planning for 2021.

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