What we know from engaging with the public on data: June 2023

At the Office for National Statistics (ONS), we collect, store, process and use data to produce statistics. The government, charities, community groups, businesses and individuals use these statistics to make informed decisions on important issues that affect us all. This could include everything from healthcare and school places to environmental issues.

We can only do this effectively with the public's support, involvement and trust. That is why it is important we understand public attitudes to data and behave ethically and transparently. It is also vital that data users engage regularly with people on data and test their acceptability of different approaches.

This insight paper summarises public attitudes, concerns and expectations on the use of data, as well as the public's views on our use of administrative data in producing statistics. It draws upon a range of sources from the ONS and beyond, referencing several research reports that explore attitudes towards statistical organisations, administrative data and data linkage.

Our research into understanding people's attitudes to data forms part of a wider programme at the ONS. This work includes engagement with users of our data and the public more broadly. It also supports our aim to ensure our statistics reflect the experiences of as many people as possible in society.

People's views on data and their attitudes towards sharing personal data are complex, with subtle differences that depend on many individual and environmental factors.

When people share personal information, they consider factors such as:

• the immediate value, such as increased convenience or access to services

• what they will gain from sharing their personal information

• the reputation of the organisation requesting their data

• what type of data an organisation is requesting

• how the organisation will use their data

• who else will have access to their data

• how their data is kept anonymous and secure

• what else organisations will use their data for

The link between an individual sharing data and which organisation is using the data is not always immediate and obvious, particularly for administrative data. Administrative data are made up of information that people share when they access public services such as the tax, benefits, health and education systems. You can find out more about administrative data on the Administrative Data UK website.

There is a desire for people to know who controls the data that they share. The Living with Data organisation conducted a review of public understanding and perceptions of data practices, Public understanding and perceptions of data practices: a review of existing research (PDF, 8.71MB). It found that the people who took part felt the "locus of control" over their data was more important than "types of data, uses and beneficiaries". In addition to the desire for control, there is significant concern surrounding the security of data shared with an organisation, and how it is secured within an organisation itself. This same review found that many people were reluctant to share data without an absolute guarantee of privacy and security. This becomes a difficult obstacle to overcome, due to administrative data being used for different purposes.

Someone's general awareness and understanding of the organisation they share their data with can be more influential than other factors on their perception of control. This awareness and understanding might be based on anything from references in the media to people's direct experience when engaging with the organisation.

People's views and opinions on the use of data have remained consistent in the range of sources we have considered from 2014-2023. However, the research suggests that as awareness and understanding of how data are collected, stored, processed, and used increases, so does the expectation to address people's need for open and honest communication. It also increases the expectation for data users to engage regularly with people about data.

According to the Ipsos MORI Dialogue on Data (2014) review there was very low awareness about who is collecting people's data, and what organisations are using them for. This is despite people's understanding that data-sharing is an "unavoidable aspect of modern life". There is also evidence to suggest that people often assume organisations are already linking and sharing their data, particularly across government.

Trust in data use

In the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation report on public sector data sharing (2020), it stated that public trust and consent is integral to the "long-term sustainability of data-sharing activity." The report states that substantial parts of the population lack trust in the competency or intentions of the overall use of public data. The report has identified several features of the "tenuous trust" that people appear to have in the ways that their data is being used by organisations. These include:

• ambiguous value

• high security procedures not consistently applied

• accountability being limited, as there is no universal approach to addressing the ethics of data sharing

• limited transparency

• a lack of control over how data is used and shared

People are more accepting of sharing their data when they learn and understand that no one can be identified in published statistics and that individual data are combined. Terms such as "aggregated", "anonymised" and "de-identified" can be confusing to people and often raise further questions.

The ease with which people can now access a large quantity of information can be overwhelming to individuals. The prevalence of misinformation, disinformation and fake news means that some people can become sceptical about the accuracy of information that organisations make publicly available, including statistics.

The 'Young People's Trust in Data Sharing' (Walnut Unlimited, 2023) unpublished qualitative research asked young people aged 18 to 24 years about their thoughts on sharing data. It found that they saw governmental organisations as "trustworthy enough" to look after people's data and use it to inform service improvements.

Types of data

Attitudes to sharing data depend on the type of data that organisations use. The information that they are sharing and how it will be used appear to significantly affect people's willingness to share data. For example, people, particularly parents, seem to be especially sensitive about sharing data about children. Those with long-term health conditions are also sensitive about sharing health data.

When there is a clear benefit, such as sharing health data to improve health services, people are more accepting. However, this acceptance is dependent on not being individually identifiable. With financial data, the benefits of sharing are not as immediately clear. According to Thinks Insight and Strategy's 2023 unpublished report 'Attitudes to data sharing', people perceive risks to be higher, particularly around credit and debit transactions. This is because it feels more personal, and they are concerned their data is being collected without their consent.

The Ipsos MORI (2014) 'Dialogue on Data' research revealed that some participants identified certain types of data that were too private for organisations to share outside of the original collecting agency. For example, information on domestic violence or HIV. They felt that the consequences of a security breach involving these types of data were too great.

Perceived benefits and risks

It is more common for people to be concerned about sharing data than it is for them to consider the benefits.

There is some debate surrounding the definition of "public good" when providing this as a reason for using data to produce statistics. Research by Administrative Data Research UK (2022) established that people generally understand "public" to mean "the majority of people". It also defined the "greatest good" as, "the greatest number of needs being met at once". However, there was no complete agreement. Some felt that the good use of statistics should apply to parts of society that have the greatest need. Others believed that we could interpret "public" as referring to people in the future "improving the lives of future generations" through sharing their data. People collectively agreed that the use of data for the public good should apply to real-world scenarios, addressing inequalities in society and avoiding research that encourages these inequalities.

This is similar to findings from the Thinks Insight and Strategy's 2023 unpublished report 'Attitudes to data sharing', which found that people most clearly understand the value of statistics through the use of case studies. In particular, those that appear to be more relevant to minority communities. People often saw the benefits of sharing data as transactional and more focused on the individual. The two main reasons for this were gaining and keeping access to services, and increased convenience. Unprompted examples of organisations that people tend to share data with included retailers, government and financial providers.

People also perceived the benefits of sharing data differently depending on how they interacted with an organisation. If an organisation offered something in return for someone's data, the benefits were more likely to be front of mind and easier to assess.

Administrative Data Research UK's review of previous literature, Trust, Security and Public Interest: Striking the Balance (PDF, 609KB), showed that 60% of people who had taken part in medical research felt it was their duty to allow the use of their personal health information. They felt that this would aid the process of medical research, but they would only allow it if they could give consent.

People's views were grounded in trust and the legitimacy of organisations as reported in Public attitudes to data linkage (NatCen 2018) (PDF, 138KB). People are more likely to be at ease and consent to data linkage and sharing if it is being carried out for the benefit of society. Similarly, the 'Dialogue on Data' (Ipsos MORI 2014) research found that people would be broadly happy with administrative data linkage for certain research projects provided that:

• the projects have social value

• data are de-identified

• data are kept secure

• businesses are not able to access the data for profit

Awareness of the ONS

According to the Public Confidence in Official Statistics (PCOS) 2021, (PDF 9.04MB) report, awareness of the ONS is high, with three-quarters of respondents having heard of us. The survey also revealed that 91% of respondents agreed that statistics we produce are important to understanding our country.

While people may be aware of the ONS, they generally have limited understanding of our role and our independence from ministers, unless they have had direct engagement with us. For example, in focus groups, when we ask people if they have heard of us, a small number mention the census without any prompting. However, those who have interacted previously with us highlight their knowledge that the census is important for understanding the population.

Trust in the ONS

The level of trust an individual holds in an organisation is a critical factor in their decision to share personal information. The PCOS (2021) report stated that trust in our organisation remains high (89%).

Trust in the ONS's use of administrative data depends on us being open and honest about:

• the organisations we source data from

• the types of data we use

• the reasons why we want the data and how we will use that data

• our data collection and storage policies and procedures

• the specific benefits to individuals, communities and society as a result of organisations using our statistics

According to Thinks Insight and Strategy's 2023 unpublished report 'Attitudes to data sharing', people need to assess confidently the value and purpose of the data we have asked them to share. To be able to do this, they rely on us to give clear examples of how our data and statistics can benefit communities.

Trust in the ONS's statistics

Consistent with previous years, the results of the PCOS (2021) survey showed that 87% of respondents said they trusted our statistics. Most respondents agreed that our statistics were free from political interference (74%). However, there were concerns about how the government and the media present statistics. Only 35% of respondents agreed that the government present statistics honestly and 24% agreed that the media present statistics honestly.

People are often surprised to learn what the independence of our statistics means for the way we produce them. We are independent of ministers and only use data for statistics and research which serve the public good. An increased understanding of our impartiality appears to be a driver of trust, and an important strength in our role as an official producer of statistics.

Although overall levels of public trust in the statistics we produce are high, some audience groups report lower levels of trust. These include groups who have limited or no access to the internet, those from certain ethnic groups or those that identify with certain religions. There is an expectation from the public that we have a responsibility to ensure that as many people as possible are aware of, and have access to, the statistics we produce.

Feedback from community outreach engagement and focus groups conducted by us has underlined the need to focus on topics and issues that people care about, such as quality of life. There is also a view that the way we present data can positively support debate. For example, considering how data can shine a light on how the cost-of-living impacts people in different ways.

Demographic characteristics have a clear effect on attitudes to data. Results from focus groups with people aged between 18 and 24 years revealed that they can identify benefits to data sharing, namely increased convenience and improvement to services. They generally think data sharing is necessary for being part of society, and they would struggle to access basic aspects of life without it (Walnut Unlimited, 2023, unpublished research).

According to Thinks, Insight and Strategy's 2023 unpublished report 'Attitudes to data sharing', older participants are more likely to know about the ONS from hearing about and interacting with the census over the years.

Those familiar with us understand how statistics positively impact wider society, for example, this was a view expressed by some university graduates who have interacted with us throughout their studies. However, key population groups such as people with long-term health conditions and those from ethnic minority backgrounds express higher concern about sharing data.

The PCOS (2021) survey revealed that respondents' attitudes towards official statistics changed significantly by level of education. Those educated to degree level or above were the most likely to trust us as an organisation (95%) and the statistics we produce (also 95%). On the other hand, respondents with no educational qualifications were the least likely to trust us as an organisation (74%) and the statistics we produce (76%). Also, those who use statistics generally hold more positive attitudes towards statistics than non-users.

People's views and opinions on data have remained fairly consistent. However, it is evident that people's views evolve as they are impacted by environmental factors and public debate. For example, it seems that coronavirus (COVID-19) and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) have had a positive impact on attitudes and behaviours in relation to sharing data. This is because they have increased awareness around the positive role of statistics and the security measures in place. On the other hand, while people may have seen data about the cost of living, they report frustration that they cannot necessarily make any link between the statistics and economic improvement.

As technology develops, sharing data has become easier than ever. This emphasises a generational divide and change in attitudes over time. Focus groups with people aged 18 to 24 years showed that this age group tend not to question or spend time worrying about data sharing. This is because they have been sharing data their whole lives. They cannot see what difference it would make to share just that little bit more, as so much is already out there.

A potential theme is emerging around the need for designated "custodians" of data. People have said that they want the organisations that use data to be accountable for its benefits and provide evidence of the "public good" the data can offer. They want these organisations to invest time and effort into sharing examples of the positive impacts these data have on communities.

It is more important than ever for people to be reassured that the use of data is:

• trustworthy

• open and honest

• ethical

• subject to independent scrutiny

This insight summary highlights how important it is for organisations that use data to engage with the public. To maintain public trust, they need to share information about how their data are used and for what purpose. At the ONS, we will continue to communicate and seek people's views on how we use data to produce official statistics.

This insight will feed into future work on engaging the public on data. It supports our aim to create an inclusive environment of trust that allows and encourages everyone to count and be counted in UK data.