Office for National Statistics
Nothing about us, without us: towards data inclusivity in the UK
“We need to see changes. That is most important. If they collect the data to have a certain statistic, then we need to see the changes. If there are no changes, then what is the point?”
Challenge
The UK Statistics Authority (UKSA) holds responsibility for supporting the production of national and official statistics, which are of fundamental importance to the development, implementation and evaluation of public policy at national, regional and local levels. There is a problem however. Decisions are only as good as the data on which they are made, and if data is not fully inclusive of the UK population, then decisions that impact the population may also not be fully inclusive.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) were asked to provide the UKSA with evidence of how data and evidence can be more inclusive, and what the requirements are for making this possible. They commissioned Basis Social to carry out the research that underpinned their response.
Approach
We undertook two stages of qualitative research, first with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) working on behalf of under-represented groups, and then with members of the public who themselves had protected characteristics.
We held 20 workshops with over 80 CSOs to understand how they collect and use data, the challenges and opportunities for increasing data inclusivity and the practicalities of enabling people to provide their views. This was followed by a mixture of interviews and group discussions with 91 members of the public recruited as having a protected characteristic or under-represented in the UK statistics. Discussions revolved around the appropriate and desired uses of personal data, and the principles by which people want their data collected and used.
Impact
We spoke with individuals that had experienced a wide range of life challenges: homelessness, modern slavery, race, sex or gender discrimination, disability. Every single person spoke clearly on their expectations and desires for how their information should be collected and used by companies and public authorities. Similarly, voluntary sector organisations highlighted the key opportunities for improving the quality of decisions taken about those groups they supported.
A detailed dossier was provided to ONS who in turn provided their submission to the UKSA in Summer 2021. The Chief Statistician will make his recommendation to Government in September 2021. Watch this space…
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