Challenges in Official Statistics

Official statistics are an instrument for decision making and an essential tool for political debate. Good statistics are at the basis of a healthy functioning of the democratic system. In order that official statistics can achieve their goal they need to be credible for the citizens at large. In order to win credibility a careful and permanent compliance with good practices has to be achieved. Technological progress, the changes in a society that is permanently evolving towards new organizational frameworks and new ways of life, as well as the revolution started by the social networks can eventually put into jeopardy this credibility. The European Statistical System is implementing a number of tools aimed at preserving credibility through all these changes. Some of them are also been adopted in other Regions in the world. But there are still a number of pending challenges to face.