ONS

Transforming R&D statistics on Government-funded research & development

Antibody testing

We have already blogged about how the UK’s statistics on research and development (R&D) are the subject of a programme of fundamental transformation. We are improving our main survey to capture a much wider group of businesses to better reflect the true extent of R&D undertaken in the UK. Now we also improving our measurement of R&D undertaken by the UK government and its agencies. Heather Bovill talks about how we are improving these estimates of what R&D the government is paying for and, importantly, where it is taking place.

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Transforming the Labour Force Survey

Worker in a factory environment

The ONS Labour Force Survey is one of the UK’s biggest regular household surveys and a key source of economic data. Providing detailed insight on employment and economic activity down to local level, the survey is the foundation stone of official monthly employment statistics. Last year we unveiled plans to transform this important data source. Alex Lambert updates on progress so far – and reveals when the new-look data will be available.  

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New ways to access Census 2021 data

Crowds of people walking through a busy street

At the Office for National Statistics, we want to give you the power to find and compare all the combinations of data you want from Census 2021. We have now released billions of statistics from the information you gave us in response to the Census. Here Jen Woolford explains how ‘Create a custom dataset’ is a unique innovation for official statistics and how it is just one of the products coming this year to help you find the data you want. 

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What’s next for Census 2021?

Picture of the online census form

Long gone are the days when census statistics were published in huge printed volumes. Now the Office for National Statistics is making the latest census information as easy as possible to use online so everyone can navigate the breadth and depth of census information and find reliable answers to their questions.  In this post Jen Woolford sets out the variety of ways in which people will be able to access the census statistics they need in coming months. 

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Sociodemographic inequalities of dying by suicide

Reducing the number of people who die by suicide is of paramount importance. Every death from suicide is a tragedy, and behind every statistic is an individual, a family, and a community devastated by their loss. Today we have produced analysis estimating the rates of suicide by sociodemographic characteristics to understand which groups of people are at the highest risk. Here, Isobel Ward explains the research and why it is so important.

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