Jul 9, 2024 09:56 PM
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1050782
INTRO: As the nation wraps up celebrations of its birth 248 years ago, a first-ever comprehensive report about the status of the federal statistical system—informing and powering the progress of the world’s oldest democracy since the first census in 1790—issues a clarion call with concerns for the future of official statistics.
Today, the American Statistical Association released a 90-page report, two years in the making, that details serious threats to America’s ability to continue producing trusted, nonpartisan and essential statistics that serve every community in the nation. Titled The Nation’s Data at Risk: Meeting America’s Information Needs for the 21st Century, the report assesses the core of the federal statistical system—the 13 principal statistical agencies that produce official statistics as their primary mission and the chief statistician’s office in the Office of Management and Budget.
The report found statistical agencies are experiencing significant weaknesses in at least one of three critical supports needed to strengthen our nation:
Compounding these challenges, the authors of the report found “… data collection methodology is rooted in 20th century technology and survey-taking techniques. But the public is less cooperative, and agencies are hampered by legal and other barriers in their abilities to more rapidly develop and implement new data collection methods and tap other public and private data sources to sustain quality and timeliness, increase efficiency and productivity, and keep up with policy areas of interest.”
The expert authors of the ASA report, written in collaboration with George Mason University and with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, provided 15 specific recommendations for Congress and the executive branch to head off the looming threats to the nation’s most trusted data.
“We collectively face a narrowing window of opportunity to reverse these trends and bring our federal statistical system into the modern era,” said Nancy Potok, former chief statistician of the U.S. and a report coauthor... (MORE - details, no ads)
INTRO: As the nation wraps up celebrations of its birth 248 years ago, a first-ever comprehensive report about the status of the federal statistical system—informing and powering the progress of the world’s oldest democracy since the first census in 1790—issues a clarion call with concerns for the future of official statistics.
Today, the American Statistical Association released a 90-page report, two years in the making, that details serious threats to America’s ability to continue producing trusted, nonpartisan and essential statistics that serve every community in the nation. Titled The Nation’s Data at Risk: Meeting America’s Information Needs for the 21st Century, the report assesses the core of the federal statistical system—the 13 principal statistical agencies that produce official statistics as their primary mission and the chief statistician’s office in the Office of Management and Budget.
The report found statistical agencies are experiencing significant weaknesses in at least one of three critical supports needed to strengthen our nation:
- Many agencies lack statutory protection to sustain a high degree of control over how they collect and disseminate trusted statistics.
- Not all agencies have strong support from the cabinet department or independent agency (“parent agency”) in which they reside.
- Most agencies have suffered a decline in resources in real dollar terms over the last 15 years so they are stretched to carry out basic responsibilities.
Compounding these challenges, the authors of the report found “… data collection methodology is rooted in 20th century technology and survey-taking techniques. But the public is less cooperative, and agencies are hampered by legal and other barriers in their abilities to more rapidly develop and implement new data collection methods and tap other public and private data sources to sustain quality and timeliness, increase efficiency and productivity, and keep up with policy areas of interest.”
The expert authors of the ASA report, written in collaboration with George Mason University and with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, provided 15 specific recommendations for Congress and the executive branch to head off the looming threats to the nation’s most trusted data.
“We collectively face a narrowing window of opportunity to reverse these trends and bring our federal statistical system into the modern era,” said Nancy Potok, former chief statistician of the U.S. and a report coauthor... (MORE - details, no ads)