Types of use by different user categories Part 1

1. Uses and users of statistics Types of use by different user categories Part 1 Produced in Collaboration between World Bank Institute and the Development Data Group (DECDG)

2. Categories of users • There is a great variety of users of official statistics, all with special needs • Users include: • Governments (central, regional and local) • International and supra-national organizations • Research institutions, analysts and researchers • Journalists and the media • Businesses • Educational institutions • The general public

3. Types of use • There are many ways of categorizing types of use of official statistics • Broadly speaking six types of use may be distinguished: • Use for decision making • Use for policy development • Use for monitoring and evaluation • Use for planning • Use as background information • Use for education and research

4. Use by governments • Two kinds of government needs may be distinguished: • Need for regular observation of phenomena • Need for ad hoc measurement • Needs cannot always be addressed by existing statistics • NSOs must have some capacity for flexible response • Phenomena cannot always easily be measured in statistical terms • Close contacts between NSOs and senior government representative are important

5. Ministry of Finance • Production of own statistics: • Government Finance Statistics, on: • Public sector: General Government and Public Corporations • Net Borrowing or Lending: deficits /surpluses and debts. • Main interests are: • General economic information, • Imbalances influencing labor market, interest rates, tax collection etc. • Mostly short-term statistics about behavior of demand aggregates: unemployment, consumer behavior, investments, international trade

6. Sector or Line - Ministries • Have statistical interests specific for their sector, including: • Development of number of enterprises and their production • Employment in the sector • Turnover and profitability • Innovation • In many cases: environmental impacts • A great many specific features relevant for the sector

7. Other Line - Ministries • Ministry of labor needs a broad range of statistics about the labor market • Service ministries (health, education, crime and justice) want many details about developments in their sector • Administrative data give some indications of outcomes of policies • Statistical surveys may produce additional information about outcomes

8. Regional government • Regional governments want small area data similar to those compiled at the national level • For the NSO this would in principle imply using larger samples • However, this will not necessarily be funded • Other solutions exist: • Core data from NSO are supplemented by data collection by regional statistical offices • Statistics are supplemented by administrative data

9. Business • All business users share similar interests in quantitative information: • Statistics that allow for comparisons with competitors: turnover, cost structure, innovation, prices etc. • Statistics about factors determining future business: e.g. demography, labor market and income development, international trade, exchange and interest rates • Businesses want many of these data at a low level of geography

10. Large business • Large businesses have a broad interest in statistics • Many will be active nationally and internationally and are therefore interested in national and international statistics • The NSO should facilitate access to international statistics • NSOs in some countries have set up special units to cater for big business, also to secure response in surveys

11. Small business • Satisfying the needs of small businesses is a challenge • Specifications of questions tend to be very detailed and specific • Small businesses are very important for the economy • They are best helped by special means of dissemination and consultants

12. Use by the public • Statistics are just one source of information • The public may be skeptical • Public interest and confidence is influenced by three factors: • Quality of the media • Interaction between the NSO and the media • Statistical literacy of the population

13. Mass media • Close relationship between NSO and the media is important • Statistics must be perceived as ‘news’ • Different types of statistics are published by different media • Some statistics are routinely published by general interest media • Exposure in the media can be stimulated by the NSO • Exposure is vital for public interest and reputation of the NSO