Neighbourhood Statistics: subregional information needs

1
Neighbourhood Statisticssub-regional
information needs

• National Statistics Open Day
• 30 January 2004

2
Information needs - challenges

• Datasets ? Indicators
• Statistical and Methodological Challenges
• Identifying the totality and priority of
  information needs

3
Indicator development

• To date main focus has been on datasets
• Need for indicator development
• clearer link to policy targets (usefulness)
• for key policy and practitioner users working to
  support neighbourhood renewal agenda (usability)

4
Indicator development - issues and risks

• Pat18 Report recommendation 7
• The aim of Neighbourhood Statistics is not to
  define a set of performance measures or
  targets. That job should be up to others.
• Already plethora of indicators and targets
• Should ONS/NeSS concentrate on bringing together
  this information and stay out of the debate about
  suitability, etc?
• or position itself as an authoritative
  independent creator of statistical information,
  and promote these measures?

5
Indicator development

• Implications for website presentation
• Objective to bring indicators to the forefront
• top level indicators and area profiles
• second level underlying datasets

6
Indicator Development - Example

• Top level
• proportion of elderly population more than X
  miles away from doctors surgery
• Second level
• a. population statistics by age
• b. maps of locations of doctors surgeries (and
  other services)

7
ONS Preferred Strategic Positioning
Users
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8
Statistical Challenges (1)linking datasets

• Multivariate indicator development
• could require linkage of datasets at individual
  record level
• legal issues (data sharing)
• methodological issues (build on existing
  practice)
• secure environment

9
Statistical Challenges (2)comparability over time

• Change in process(es) ? discontinuity in series
• Significant issues and challenges
• Options
• revise older series in line with new series
• clearly identify break point in series (metadata)

10
Statistical Challenges (3)comparability over
space

• Nationally led datasets collected under central
  guidance
• Nationally led datasets collected under local
  guidance
• Locally derived/collected datasets

11
Statistical Challenges (3)small area population
estimates

• How overcome lack of migration data for local
  areas (lt LAs)?
• Review/evaluate variety of administrative sources
  to estimate migration?
• How frequently/recently could we produce
  statistics?
• Could we produce all of the required
  disaggregations?
• How do we communicate/manage expectations over
  the (certain) statistical error?

12
Information goals

• by March 2006 to have created a set of
  sub-national indicators, topic-based measures and
  datasets which are authoritative, comprehensive,
  timely and consistent over time and space.
• to form the core of an ongoing Small Area
  Statistics System - to meet wide range of needs
  of national and local users

13
Information needs

• Annex D of PAT18 provides starting checklist of
  information about social exclusion in
  neighbourhoods
• Central goverrnment policy needs periodically
  updated through blueprint process
• Local renewal practitioners changing
  requirements fed back through an outreach
  programme

14
Information needs

• But how gather information needs of other key
  target user groups?
• academic institutions
• businesses
• general public
• And how rationalise/prioritise competing
  requirements?

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To conclude...

• Views on ONS role in creation and promotion of
  indicators, targets and measures?
• Thoughts on the statistical challenges?
• Views on how to gather small area information
  needs of academic institutions, businesses and
  general public
• and how to resolve competing priorities?