ONS Details Drive for Fewer, Better Stats

In the UK, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has given more details of its ongoing program to focus in on essential, high quality economic and social statistics for the country's decision-makers - also described as a 'drive to put quality over quantity.'

The organisation has committed to reducing its statistical outputs by 10 per cent in 2026, ringfencing critical economic and societal decision-making tools including GDP, prices, labour market and population statistics, while transitioning to the Transformed Labour Force Survey, and preparing for the 2031 Census.

Darren Tierney, ONS Permanent Secretary, states: 'Difficult decisions to reduce the number of our publications are essential to restoring the quality of our core statistics... Today's announcement follows close engagement with users across health, subnational and areas of economic statistics relevant to government departments. It responds to the recommendations last year from the Devereux review and the Office for Statistics Regulation to prioritise improvements to the quality of our core economic statistics.'

Specific measures include:

• reducing the ONS' involvement in health surveys - the Health Survey for England and the Mental Health of Children and Young People Survey will no longer be run by the ONS
• pausing quarterly statistics on greenhouse gas emission (residence basis) - annual stats will still be produced
• Stopping further development of some subnational statistics, with Health, Wellbeing and Place research made available via other sources, and subnational estimates of tourism spending and Gross Value Added discontinued
• scaling back activity related to wellbeing statistics, with some quarterly coverage cut
• ending analysis on the night-time economy, and lifestyles and risk factors.

As a result of user feedback, the Office says it will continue to run the Annual Population Survey (APS), which reflects ONS outputs at a local and regional level - but at a lower level of resourcing, allowing more time for the Living Costs and Food Survey, a key contributor to GDP and other economic statistics.

A 2026/27 Strategic Business Plan will be published in April, and a new web site will be launched later this year. The existing site is at www.ons.gov.uk .