ABSTRACT
The term ‘post-truth’ was awarded the prestigious accolade of the Oxford Dictionary’s word of 2016. ‘Post-truth’ embodies a series of perceived anxieties, related to public trust in expertise, evidence, and professional authority. For the world of statistics, this post-truth anxiety combines with greater abundance of data (easier to collect, easier to combine, easier to analyze, and easier to disseminate). The idea of official statistics as representing some unique standard (a flawed view which the chapter describes as a ‘walled garden’ approach to statistics) may therefore no longer be tenable. As a result public confidence in statistics may be under threat. In response, the UK’s institutional environment for the publication of Government statistics has undergone two significant changes: the creation of a new regulatory body called the Office for Statistics Regulation and a new statutory Code of Practice for UK statistics. These institutional changes revolve around the importance of three key ‘pillars’ to public confidence in statistics: trustworthiness, quality, and value.
