Data

Uncertainty and the ‘r’ word: What exactly is a ‘recession’?

Categories: Coronavirus, Data, Economy, Office for National Statistics, ONS
Image of graphs and money, indicating financial markets

In times when the economy appears to be slowing, commentators will inevitably debate whether or not it is moving into ‘recession’. There is, however, no official definition of a recession and the one most commonly used has the potential to be misleading. In this post Darren Morgan reveals why in official statistics the ONS tends to avoid using the ‘r’ word.    

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Understanding the impact of crime on society through data

Categories: Crime, Data, Office for National Statistics, ONS
Podcast logo

Just as the nature of crime evolves, so must the data sources we rely on to capture its true nature and extent. If you’ve listened to the media you may have got the impression that overall crime in England and Wales is at record levels, but do the statistics back that up, or has crime actually been falling? Or is it the case that the nature of crime has simply changed over the last few decades, meaning we’re now more likely to be targeted online than in the streets? 

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Taking care of the carers: Why good workforce data matters in supporting social care

Categories: Data, Office for National Statistics, ONS, Public Policy, Wellbeing
Friendly nurse supporting an elderly lady

England’s large and vitally important social care sector is facing significant challenges in recruiting and retaining staff. Effective policy interventions will depend on robust workforce data but surveying this large, varied and undefined sector is a stretching endeavour.  Sarah Barrett explains how the ONS is working with central government and England’s strategic workforce development and planning body for adult social care to enhance the evidence base.

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The Power of Innovation: First new R&D stats are here

Categories: Data, Economy, Office for National Statistics, ONS
Picture symbolising innovation

In a blog post last week we set out wide-ranging plans to transform the ONS statistics on Research and Development (R&D). Now the results of the first element of this project have arrived as we publish new R&D estimates covering 2014 to 2020. Heather Bovill explains how the numbers have been improved.

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The Power of Innovation: How the ONS is transforming R&D statistics

Categories: Data, Economy, Office for National Statistics, ONS
Innovation Picture

Research and development – invariably known as ‘R&D’ – is closely linked to economic growth. Investment by companies in new products, software, and improved systems plays an important role in increasing both output and productivity. Here Heather Bovill talks about the important work taking place to improve the ONS’s measurement of this vital activity.

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