Download The growing demand for statistics: challenges and opportunities

The growing demand for
statistics: challenges and
opportunities
Pilar Martin-Guzman
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Significant increase in the
demand for statistical
information
• A challenging issue for official statisticians
• But every challenge is an opportunity
Statisticians have taken
advantage of these
opportunities
• Statistical information has improved
• A “silent revolution” (Domingo Solans)
• But, do current statistics satisfy the users?
The demand increases
• Traditional users grow and expand their
fields of interest
• New users join in
• The scenario changes
• Users are more exacting on quality issues
Traditional users
• International organisations (IMF)
• Governments
• Market players and enterprises
• Researchers
• Public at large
Three groups of countries
• Well established democracies with market
economies
• Countries in transition from nondemocratic regimes with centrally planned
economies
• Consolidating democracies
Some newcomers
• Supranational organisations (ECB)
• Decision makers at regional and local level
Changes in the scenario
• Globalisation
• The ICT revolution
Some challenges from
globalisation
• Massive migration inflows
• Internationalisation of the markets
• New interest in remote countries
Some challenges from the ICT
revolution
• New indicators are necessary
• Some of the present statistics become
irrelevant
• Frequent up-dating of definitions and
classifications
The elements of quality
•
•
•
•
•
•
Relevance
Coherence
Timeliness
Interpretability
Accessibility
Accuracy
Perception of the user
• Not necessarily coincident with the opinion
of the producer
• It depends very much on expectations
(statistical literacy)
• The impossibility to replicate surveys
Decision makers and market
players
• Accuracy versus timeliness
• What is really important about accuracy is
not so much increasing it as measuring it
(Sir Claus Moser, 2003)
Researchers
• Consistency of time series
• Accessibility versus confidentiality
• Statistics used in new research fields:
risks and opportunities.
Groups deserving special
attention
• The new decision makers
• The media
Conclusions
• For a positive perception of the users,
improving the statistical production is
important:
• This is the task of official statisticians
Conclusions
• But improving the statistical liteacy of the
users is also important
• And this is a task for all statisticians