UK Statistics Office to Cut Back on Data to Improve Quality

The UK's Office for National Statistics (ONS) is planning to publish fewer statistics in 2026 to enhance the quality of key economic data.

Focus on Quality Over Quantity

• Management Changes: The ONS has faced criticism for errors in its data over the past two years, leading to a government review and major management changes.
• Strategic Shift: The ONS aims to focus on fewer, better statistics, allowing them to allocate more resources to improving data quality.

Health Statistics

• Reduction in Output: The ONS will reduce the number of health statistics it publishes.
• COVID-19 Impact: During the pandemic, the ONS published extensive health data. Now, it wants other government departments to take over some of this work.
• Key Data Retention: The ONS will continue to publish critical population data, including births, deaths, and life expectancy.

Crime Statistics

• Review Underway: Crime statistics are under review.
• Continued Surveys: The main Crime Survey for England and Wales will continue.
• Budget Constraints: The ONS lacks sufficient funding to produce all crime statistics and may cut some.

Local Economic Data

• Local Focus: The ONS is reviewing local economic data, including details about the economy at local levels.
• Annual Population Survey (APS): The APS, which provides data on local trends in work, housing, ethnicity, and religion, is also under review.

Labour Force Survey (LFS)

• Response Rates: Response rates for the LFS have dropped since the pandemic, raising concerns about data accuracy.
• Bank of England Criticism: The Bank of England has criticized the ONS for not providing reliable labour market data.
• Improvements: The ONS is working to increase the sample size of the LFS and testing a new, modernized version of the survey, expected to launch late next year.

Economic Data Errors

• Issues Identified: Other economic data, including consumer price inflation, producer prices, trade, retail, and public finances, have had errors this year.
• Corrective Actions: The ONS is working to fix these issues to provide better, more reliable data in the future.