UK Published Statistics – publishing organizations and general information sources
David Mort · 2019
This chapter describes the framework of statistical publishing in the United Kingdom with sections on the general organization and development of official statistics and the range and nature of non-official statistical sources. Official statistics have always been primarily collected to support the decision-making processes of government but the developments in statistical provision in the 1980s have served to sharpen the divide between government users and others. Official statistics naturally reflect the key interests of the national government. The strength of official statistics is that the methods of compilation and definitions used are open to public scrutiny and debate. The guide offers the most comprehensive description of official statistics but it should be used with care and not treated as a detailed index to sources of data. Non-official statistics are published by various organizations outside central government and they often cover specific products, markets, industries and geographical areas in much more detail than official sources.