Download - Independence and a matter of trust David Marder Head of Media Relations ONS, United Kingdom
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Independence and a matter of trust
David Marder
Head of Media Relations
ONS, United Kingdom
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A sceptical audience
• Independence and ethical behaviour must be at the core of any platform to build trust
• It is a simple truth that to be trusted you must show that you are trustworthy and you must also show trust in others
• In the UK, however, the level of scepticism has reached such a depth that institutional change in itself will not achieve the desired shift in attitude
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Public confidence
• A third of people (33 per cent) thought figures were not generally accurate
• Nearly six in ten (57 per cent) disagreed that figures were produced without political interference
• A similar proportion (58 per cent) disagreed that the government uses figures honestly
• Of those that disagreed that figures were accurate nearly half (47 per cent) included a view that figures were manipulated for political purposes
Public confidence in official statistics, ONS 2008
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The Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007
• Creates a new independent authority accountable direct to the UK Parliament and whose objective is to promote and safeguard:
– The production and publication of official statistics that serve the public good; and
– The quality, good practice and comprehensiveness of official statistics
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Leaders in independence
Sir Michael Scholar – Chair of the new UK Statistics Authority
Karen Dunnell – National Statistician
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Some key points
• A new Code of Practice• Independent assessment role• A new look at pre-release access• Data-sharing• Statistical publication hub
. . . But how do we deliver ‘the public good’, confidence and trust . . .
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Earning trust
• Where there is no trust . . .
• Rise of influence of single issue groups• Rejection of the official voice• Erosion of civic society
Trust in Government (Opinion Leader Research) April 2006
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What happened to trust?
• We don't trust less, we trust differently
• No longer an age of deference
• We've moved to an age of reference
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Who is trusted?
• Authority of institution has been eroded and switched to:
– people we know, who know
– 'my media'
• We choose PEOPLE we can trust and then find the CONTEXT in which we can trust them
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Views of ‘opinion-formers’
Opinion-formers say the quality of UK official statistics is up there with the best in the world
• The problem of mistrust as they see it:– current political climate of mistrust– politicisation of official statistics– prior access by Ministers– spin = political marketing ("it's my job to create the
truth" - Peter Mandelson)
Ipsos-MORI - Official Statistics: Perception and Trust (May 2006)
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The spiral of distrust
• Divergence syndrome– Something expected to be positive turned out to
be negative– Something thought be constant turns out to be
finite
• The disconnect between expectations and experience
• Doesn't connect with 'me and my world'
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Shoot the messenger
The media:– Statistics make easy and powerful stories– ... But – taken out of context – exaggerated– misrepresented
The effect:– skews trust– creates misunderstanding
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Media – most powerful stakeholders
Media v. statistics – the battle zone:
• never let the facts get in the way of the story• if it's not interesting - it's not news• no change = no news
• Build bridges with the media to create less ambiguous coverage
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How can you gain trust?
• To earn trust . . . first you have to give trust– mutual respect– accessible information– Adult-to-adult
• Behaviours that are trustworthy– consistent– authentic– human – engaging
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New kinds of influence
• The social influencer:charismatic
no apparent agenda
not patronising
accessible
appears to know
engaging and likeable
personal and relevant
represents . . . the truth
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Standing in the shoes
• Stand in the shoes of the audience and ask:
– 'What does this mean to me?'– 'Do I trust these people?'
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A voice from the past
. . . facts are essential to the formation of views
. . . prejudice is combatted by reason
. . . policies are explained to be understood
Sir Kenneth Grubb, Ministry of Information 1941-46
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Transparency, accessibility and clarity
• Independence is not a magic bullet
• Statisticians must not only act independently but be seen to be independent
• Probity is not sufficient in itself • Transparency, accessibility and clarity are all
equally important – Clearer explanation of the information produced is
probably even more useful to users than increasing the range
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Searching the depths