Some recent ground-breaking work from ONS on topics including deaths of homeless people and the impact of migration has been the result of the new ONS centres for Public Policy Analysis. Here, Liz McKeown provides an update on the work of these centres and their achievements so far.
Read more on Filling in the gaps: Introducing our new quarterly public policy analysis review
From the time you start work to getting married and starting a family, how do today’s young people’s lives differ from their parents’ and grandparents’? Iain Bell discusses how ONS has been contributing more insights on the emerging generations, providing better data for policy makers to make the right decisions.
Read more on The young ones: how do young people’s lives now differ from previous generations’?
Evolving shopping habits are keeping UK retailers on their toes, forcing many to adapt to survive. The rise of online sales and the disappearance of some big names from UK high streets have also challenged ONS to maintain the accuracy and relevance of the Retail Sales Index. As Rhian Murphy explains, the breadth of its coverage means the RSI remains a leading indicator – not just of retailing but of the economy as a whole.
Read more on Shopping Around for Retail Data? How ONS keeps tabs on a fast-changing sector
The possible effects of screen time and social media on children’s mental health are much in the news at the moment. But the mental health of the youngest in our society is complex and can be affected by many factors. To mark Children’s Mental Health Week and Time To Talk Day, Tim Vizard explains how ONS is working to improve the evidence base.
Read more on Children’s Mental Health: Understanding the issues
While ONS strategy is focused on making more use of government-held data to improve official statistics , researchers in the Data Science Campus are also exploring the value of social media data. There’s plenty of it and its potential seems obvious. But who is “citizen of the world” and where is “Black Pudding land”? As well as privacy concerns some big limitations in the data need addressing too, conclude Lanthao Benedikt and Emily Tew.
Read more on Can social media data improve official statistics? Not yet, suggests new work on tourism
