A short report in yesterday's FT gave me one of those "through the looking-glass" moments, and I read it again this morning in an attempt to clear my head. A new survey says that more than half of Britons think politicians interfere with official data. Who did the survey? Why, the Office for National Statistics. If the statistics are to be believed, we don't believe the statistics.
Let's pursue this existential conundrum for a moment to find out how the government is attempting to resolve this lack of trust (if such it is). By closing down the the Statistics Commission (set up by the Government in 2000 to restore trust in official statistics) and handing over its work to the UK Statistics Authority (set up by the Government eight years later to restore trust in official statistics). Are you reassured? nor am I.
For what it's worth, the latest survey finds that the least trusted statistics are those on hospital waiting lists. And there has been a fall in the numbers believing the Government's population data. No surprises there. The credibility gap between the public's day-to-day experience and Government claims is surely one of the biggest reasons for our overall lack of trust in politicians.
Whether a new Statistics Authority can begin to bridge this gap remains to be seen. I suppose we'll just have to wait for another ONS survey to to tell us...
