Maintaining sources of official data
A key part of ONS activity is to develop and deliver rich data sources to agreed timetables and quality standards. Key activities in relation to sources of official data include:
Business Surveys
We collect a great deal of information from business, both to help chart short–term trends in the economy and to develop a greater insight into more complex structural issues which help to inform policy questions, for example on the competitiveness of British business.
Social Surveys
We conduct the major national surveys of the population on a continuous basis. These include the Labour Force Survey, the General Household Survey, and the Expenditure and Food Survey. A major programme is under way to improve the quality and integration of the information we collect from these sources.
The International Passenger Survey
Information collected from passengers at each port and terminal provides the basis for our understanding of topics as diverse as the balance of payments, tourist behaviour and immigration.
Administrative Sources and Registers
ONS accesses information held in other government databases in order to produce a wealth of statistics – on everything from births, marriages and deaths to the development of the national register of businesses. Plans to gain further access to administrative data for statistical purposes hold many exciting challenges for statisticians and analysts.
