Government Social Research
ONS Newport Office
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is the government department that provides statistical and registration services. The National Statistician, Karen Dunnel, is the Director of the ONS and Registrar General for England & Wales. The ONS is responsible for producing a wide range of key economic and social statistics, which are used by policy makers across government to create evidence-based policies and monitor performance against them. The Office also builds and maintains data sources both for itself and as a resource for its business and research customers, students, academia and the general public.
The Office also incorporates the General Register Office for England and Wales (GRO). The GRO is responsible for ensuring the registration of all births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales, and for maintaining a central archive dating back to 1837. The ONS was formed in April 1996 when the Central Statistical Office merged with the Office for Population, Censuses and Surveys.
National Statistics (NS) is a brand that stands for quality, integrity and freedom from political interference. NS covers government data produced to the high professional standards set out in the National Statistics Code of Practice . Fundamental to National Statistics is the Statistics Commission, an independent, non-executive body that advises Ministers on the statistical integrity and quality of National Statistics. All National Statistics outputs are organised under 13 themes .
Around 150 social researchers work on a range of topics across ONS - health, population, demography, geography, labour market, socio-economic inequalities, and statistical methodology as well as designing, conducting and reporting on surveys of the population.
A large number of analytical and compendium publications as well as survey reports are produced each year which provide a portrait of the nation - for example, Labour Market Trends , Population Trends , Social and Regional Trends and Living in Britain . Social researchers also work on the Neighbourhood Statistics Service (NeSS). NeSS was launched in February 2001 to help the Government implement its Neighbourhood Renewal Policy. The online service aims to provide data on local areas which is searchable by postcode, ward or local authority.
Social researchers work in a number of ONS Directorates and Divisions, often as part of multi-disciplinary teams. They also work on a number of cross-cutting projects, including the definition and measurement of societal wellbeing, analysis of children and young people, and of the ageing population, work on understanding ethnicity and identity, analysis of socio-economic inequalities, and analysis of demographic change and its impact on the labour market.
In particular, our Social and Vital Statistics Division carries out survey research for government departments and other public bodies on a range of social issues. It conducts the Labour Force Survey, the single largest household survey in Britain, as well as other continuous surveys, such as the General Household Survey, the Expenditure and Food Survey, the Family Resources Survey, the International Passenger Survey, the NS Omnibus Survey, the English House Condition Survey, and the Scottish House Condition Survey. Over the years it has also conducted an extensive range of ad hoc surveys such as the National Diet and Nutrition Survey, the People, Families and Communities Study and surveys on Time Use, Mental Health, Prisoner's Basic Skills, Social Capital, Carers and Dental Health. Other topics have included disability, literacy, criminality and health behaviours.
While social researchers in ONS’s SEMARD (social and economic micro analysis and reporting division) are engaged in a variety of projects and often work alongside statisticians and economists in multi-disciplinary teams. SEMARD is the home of Social Trends which presents an analysis of a variety of topic areas including, households and families, lifestyles and social participation, crime and justice, education and training, social protection, population, and the labour market. Pension Trends is the main publication produced by SEMARD’s Pensions Analysis Unit (PAU) and includes an analysis of demographic factors that influence the demand for pensions, the effect of gender on pension saving and pensioner income, social attitudes to retirement and pension planning, and individual expectations of retirement. The United Kingdom Health Statistics (UKHS) publication is produced within SEMARD by the Health Analysis and Reporting team and this draws together information on the health of the population and health care services for the UK as a whole as well as differences across its four constituent countries. Health Analysis and Reporting also conducts research into the socio-economic inequalities in mortality rates for men and women. The ONS Longitudinal Study (LS), also based within SEMARD has been providing scope for social research in a variety of areas for over 30 years covering topics as diverse as health and mortality inequalities, demographic issues such as fertility and family change, studies of ethnicity and cancer.
This work tends to be conducted in Directorates and Divisions. However, there are a number of cross-cutting projects that transcend these boundaries. This work includes the definition and measurement of social capital, work on understanding ethnicity and identity, analysis of socio-economic inequalities, and analysis of demographic change and its impact on the labour market.
Additional information about the work that ONS staff are involved in can be obtained from the National Statistics Work Programme, which sets out the strategic direction for National Statistics; a description of some of the major cross-cutting developments such as Neighbourhood Statistics; and individual chapters covering proposed developments within each of the 12 National Statistics themes.
Parliament's approval of the Statistics Act marks a new era of independence for ONS and statistics in the UK. On 1 April 2008 a new Statistics Board, independent of ministers, will be created. The Board will be chaired by Sir Michael Scholar and its Chief Executive will be the National Statistician, Karen Dunnell. Collectively the Board will be responsible for safeguarding the quality of all official statistics and ensuring that wherever statistics are produced in Government they are done so free from political interference. Work is ongoing to implement this and this section will be updated accordingly as progress is made.
Publications and other on-line products are organised according to National Statistics themes on the Bookshelf section of the National Statistics website.