Royal Statistical Society - 6pp

getstats aims to boost statistical literacy in a society, economy and culture awash with data.

getstats is a 10-year campaign mounted by the Royal Statistical Society with the support of the Nuffield Foundation to improve how we handle numbers – the practical numbers of daily life, business and policy. Statistics are tools that turn data into useful information. They give numbers meaning and help to decode complexity.

Better information is empowering.

At every turn we make decisions to which risk, probability and sampling are relevant. Choosing what to buy or planning a journey; deciding on medical treatment and listening to the advice of a doctor; calculating earnings and benefits and how to save and invest: these are statistically rich decisions. We need numerical data to understand the performance of schools and hospitals, but also to understand why league tables can be distorting and unfair.

Deciding how to vote ought to rest on a capacity to sum up political parties’ offers, especially what they say about taxing and spending. At work, we need to measure quantities and to assess performance.

BUILDING A NEW CULTURE We are campaigning for cultural change. A society where more of us are comfortable handling data would be more prosperous and better informed.

In the 21st century the salience of statistics in commercial and civic life will increase. Fit citizens and productive employees need to grasp numbers through elementary statistical techniques. Statistical illiteracy leads to misallocation of resources and political confusion.

WORKING WITH PARTNERS WE CAN’T DO IT ALONE getstats and the Royal Statistical Society cannot achieve change single-handedly.

We are working with others who are concerned with data and statistics and public understanding, among them the Royal Society, the UK Statistics Authority, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Hansard Society, sector skills councils, the Actuarial Profession and the Economic and Social Research Council. We are collaborating with commercial partners who supply software and data handling solutions.

Images used on front page Image 1 & 2 Anna Mair Image 3 Paul Simpson

In the 21st century the salience of statistics will increase Image credit Paul Simpson

Data and numbers are everywhere.

We need to understand what they mean, especially when the choices we make as individuals and collectively depend on them. getstats is about improving national capacity – helping everyone gain the skills and confidence to use data and numbers better.

Image credit Paul Simpson

AUDIENCES

BUSINESS AND THE ECONOMY

In its early stages, the campaign will reach out to specific sectors and audiences.

We are working with employers in individual firms and in sectors to assess the statistical needs of business and improve the statistical skill set of employees.

PARLIAMENT AND POLITICS We work closely with MPs, peers and parliamentary staff supporting national politicians in understanding data and statistics. We respond to consultations and parliamentary inquiries and, in collaboration with the House of Commons Information Services, are working to help MPs and their staff make better use of statistics.

We are concerned, also, with the statistical capacity of local government and the NHS, and the police and crime commissioners due to be elected in November 2012.

MEDIA We are talking to media executives and journalists across all platforms to develop their awareness of data and statistics and their critical role in helping the public make sense of numbers. We have devised a statement of basic competence in statistics, which we hope all those graduating from journalism training courses will adopt.

EDUCATION We are arguing strongly for post16 options in maths and statistics, including statistical work in subjects outside science and technology. In higher education, we are collaborating to establish benchmarks in statistical literacy for all social science students and a new qualification in methods.

THE WIDER PUBLIC We are raising awareness of the significance of statistics by showing how, day to day, numbers can be a source of entertainment and instruction. During Olympic year we are working with teachers, sports people, the gambling industry and sports regulators to celebrate statistics in sport – and invite people to see how widespread intuitive understanding of numbers already is.

GET INVOLVED Learn more about the campaign by visiting www.getstats.org.uk and take part in forums and discussions.

SIGN UP Share your views with the getstats team, especially your thoughts on ways in which we make Britain a place where data not only flows freely but also is accurate and properly understood.

DONATE Please donate to the campaign so we can continue this important outreach work. Cheques can be made payable to the Royal Statistical Society.

The getstats campaign is organised by the Royal Statistical Society, an international membership organisation for statisticians and everybody interested in statistics, whose aims include promoting the use and awareness of statistics for public benefit.

To find out more about the campaign, partnership and sponsorship options contact: Debra Hurcomb d.hurcomb@rss.org.uk 020 7614 3934 www.getstats.org.uk