7.6 Needs of the public#
Society’s seemingly insatiable demand for fact-based information continues to increase. The general public - ordinary people in society who do not belong to any of the more formal groups of statistics users covered in this chapter - require statistics to respond to a wide range of questions affecting their daily lives, to better understand events both local and global and to meet other, individual needs. Modern official statistics help the public to hold policymakers and the government to account, and equal access to official statistics is intended to offer the same benefits to everyone similarly to basic human rights.
Official statistics give the general public a basis for thinking about the future, grounded in good information about the present and the past.
Official statistics give the general public a basis for thinking about the future, grounded in good information about the present and the past.
For most of the general public with access to the internet, the first instinct when seeking the data, they need, is to use a search engine which may direct them to the NSO website. From here, users can access the NSO database, view recent statistical releases, access headline indicators and also find the contact details of the NSO experts.
The following activities could form part of the user engagement strategy for the general public:
The general public needs user-friendly products (focused products, data stories, short and simple texts, etc.).
Making NSO data sufficiently easy to find, access and understand for all users. Making the data searchable with comprehensive metadata and a robust search engine can go a long way to achieving this. Separate interfaces can be developed for expert-level and more basic users with different levels of functionality and analytical tools (see Chapter 11.7 - Dissemination methods).
Maintaining a dedicated unit to respond to enquiries from the general public and stakeholders, which can come via email, social media, telephone or walk-in visits. Users can subscribe to receive news about latest releases via a notification service or be advised when updates are available for the various topics, they are interested in.
Providing the general public with access to the data they need with infographics to make the data more understandable and increasing awareness of its availability and high quality is an important way to build confidence and trust in official statistics.
Redesign the website to improve visibility based on analysis of web search results analysis.
Use social media to increase engagement (see Chapter 11.7.2 - The use of social media in dissemination).
Leverage other groups to increase outreach (for example, ONS in the UK have a syndication arrangement with BBC). This can be an effective way to ensure the general public gets access to the data rather than assuming they will get it through the NSO website.