For anyone producing or using statistics
The Code of Practice for Statistics ensures that statistics are not just numbers, but reliable tools for understanding the world, providing insight to inform understanding and shape action. As such, statistics are vital to support democracy and democratic debate.
The Code is based on the core principles of Trustworthiness, Quality and Value (TQV). Taken together, TQV provides an ethical framework that can support the publication of any kind of analysis or evidence. It is relevant for and can be used by anyone in any organisation who wants to ensure that the information they provide is relevant, informative and impactful.
Statistics and the public good
Statistics serve the public good as public assets that provide insight, which allows them to be used widely for informing understanding and shaping action.
To fully realise the potential of statistics, the organisations producing them should place serving the public good at the heart of their work and be conscious of their responsibilities to society.
Meeting the public good
Producing statistics that live up to their potential to serve the public good requires recognising that statistics are more than just aggregated numbers. How things are done matters as much as the numbers themselves.
In any social exchange of information, there are three factors at play.
Firstly, the audience will consider the culture and behaviours of the information provider and their track record of meeting their commitments. In the case of statistics, this encompasses a wide range of people within an organisation – from the producer of the statistical bulletin to the minister quoting the statistics.
Secondly, there is the nature of the information itself – in the case of the statistics, this means the aggregated statistics and underlying data.
Finally, there is the context in which the information is heard and received by an individual as a user of the information.
If organisations only focus on the production of the numbers, they risk not fulfilling the practical utility of the statistics and may reduce confidence in the organisation itself and their outputs.
For people to have confidence, there must be clarity about the Trustworthiness of the organisation, the Quality of the statistics and, crucially, the Value of the statistics to the users.
The Code offers a framework that considers all three factors.
Trustworthiness, Quality and Value
Focusing on Trustworthiness, Quality and Value ensures people can have confidence in the production and communication of statistics.
Trustworthiness
Trustworthiness means that the public can have confidence in the people and organisations that produce statistics. It reflects the integrity, professionalism and impartiality of the producers and the statistical system. Trustworthiness signals that statistics are not subject to manipulation or undue influence.
Trustworthiness is not just about following rules. It also requires behaviours and attitudes that foster confidence among those who interact with an organisation. Producers should be accountable for their actions and decisions, and responsive to feedback and criticism.
Trustworthiness also depends on the leadership and culture of the organisations that produce statistics, and the support and respect that analysts receive from senior leaders and stakeholders.
Quality
Quality is about using suitable data and appropriate methods to produce reliable statistics that meet user needs. Statistics should inform rather than mislead, and producers must uphold high standards of transparency and quality assurance.
Quality is dynamic and evolving, not fixed or absolute. It requires curiosity and a mindset that is open to seeing how statistics could be wrong. Maintaining quality involves continuous monitoring, innovation, collaboration and effective communication with users to ensure statistics are developed, understood and used appropriately.
Value
Value means that statistics benefit the public by informing and supporting decision making, action and debate. It also means that statistics can be accessed, understood and used by a wide range of users. Providing value is the ultimate goal of statistics, as it reflects their contribution to society and the public good.
Value is not a static or one-off outcome, but a continuous and interactive process. Producers should engage with users and other stakeholders to understand their needs and be responsive to changing demands, data availability and policy contexts.
The core principles of the Code work together and reinforce each other, providing a coherent framework for those producing statistics. For the public good to be served, all three must be addressed: Trustworthiness of people and organisations; Quality of data and methods; and Value for users.
Universality of this framework
Trustworthiness, Quality and Value can support any kind of research or evidence.
TQV does not prescribe a particular way of producing statistics or presenting data; instead, the focus is on the outcome of the public good, which allows for and encourages the adoption of new and innovative approaches in statistics. The framework supports the use of new data sources and new techniques to enable more-powerful insight on any aspect of society.
Wider application of these concepts can support a broad range of activities, including qualitative and quantitative research design, data collection and analysis. These can be conducted in a range of settings, for example, charities, universities, local authorities and companies – any organisation that wants to produce information that supports the public good rather than just private interests.
Providing resilient safeguards
There are clear threats to the production and use of evidence that could undermine democratic institutions and erode public confidence. Embedding Trustworthiness, Quality and Value provides strong, resilient safeguards against threats to the public good
The current UK statistics environment is, in many ways, a positive one. We have an established statistical system. We have a respected research community. We have a wide range of media and social media outlets that draw on statistics and data and act as intermediaries between statistics producers and a wider user audience. Citizens, businesses, academics and decision makers have various ways to engage with and use data and statistics.
But we cannot take these positives for granted. Threats to the culture and environment of evidence use exist and are varied and numerous. The public and users of statistics can find gaps in the data they need or have concerns over deliberate, malicious misinformation. As the sources of data available to the public become more abundant, the public themselves may face information overload, while reliable statistics from reputable producers may face competition and need to report at pace to remain relevant and useful. Producers of statistics can face resource constraints or be operating in an organisational environment that does not sufficiently promote good practice or encourage learning and improvement. These factors can impact on producers’ ability to innovate, collaborate and continuously improve their outputs which risks decreasing the relevance of the statistics and the potential for them to serve the public good.
While many of these threats have been part of society for some time, they may be magnified in an environment of technological advancement (including both social media and AI). These developments, for all the opportunities they bring, risk creating a degree of uncertainty for people.
Within the landscape of threats, the challenge is ensuring that accurate, cohesive data and statistics are accessible and available to all. Embedding Trustworthiness, Quality and Value provides strong, resilient safeguards against threats to public good by helping organisations to demonstrate their commitment to the public interest and to mitigate concerns about misinformation.
A Code for all:
The Code of Practice for Statistics is not only a set of guidelines but also a source of inspiration and support for producers and users of statistics. When statistics and data are produced in line with the Code’s framework of Trustworthiness, Quality and Value, they serve the public good.
