While the CSO is authorised by law to gather, analyse, and produce independent insights for all on our society and economy, we also apply professional ethical considerations when it comes to how we gather and produce statistics.
For more than 30 years, the CSO has been committed to using the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, which are the global standard for producing high quality data that people can trust. One of these principles states that professional ethics should be applied when deciding on the methods and procedures for the collection/gathering, processing, storage, and presentation of statistical data.
In practice, this means we must show why data is needed, how it will be protected, and how it will be used appropriately. We also have strict controls around who can access data internally and the confidentiality of the data is protected by law.
Applying professional ethics to decisions on areas such as survey design, methodology, or access to data, helps protect the integrity of our work. We know that every statistic represents an individual, household, or an enterprise and we take the trust placed in us to produce and protect statistics seriously. We continue to work hard to retain and build on the trust placed in us. Our approach to ethics is rooted in our public service ethos, and we are reviewing how to embed wider professional ethical considerations into our work practices.
The CSO has been using the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics since 1992 as a framework to produce high quality data that people can trust. The second principle states that in order to retain trust in official statistics, statistical agencies need to include professional ethics when deciding on the methods and procedures for the collection, processing, storage, and presentation of statistical data. When we talk about ethics at the CSO, we are referring to a set of principles and behaviours that inform our work. These principles and behaviours allude to ethical considerations in terms of our professional standards, accountability, integrity, impartiality, transparency, trust, and confidentiality, as well as a commitment to prevent the misuse of statistics. These principles and values are cornerstones of our work and are underpinned by the Statistics Act, 1993, European Union Regulation 223/2009. and we fully subscribe to the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics and the European Statistics Code of Practice.
To comply with data protection law, and to work efficiently, the CSO also considers necessity and proportionality in relation to all data collection. Examining necessity supports collection only of data that is specifically required to produce statistical products, while assessing proportionality ensures there are robust grounds for collection and that our use of data balances people’s rights against the Office’s functions.
Increased access to data and evolving ethical questions require new responses and approaches such as examining how this ethical lens can be strengthened into formal processes that can be embedded within the governance structure of the CSO.
One such option being examined is the creation of a permanent Ethics Board at the CSO which would explore and examine ethical considerations around new statistical releases. This would learn from the experiences of the CSO’s Social Statistics Ethics Advisory Group (SSEAG) which was set up in 2020 to provide advice to the CSO and its Director General on the ethical aspects of the conduct of surveys as needed.
The Sexual Violence Survey (SVS) 2022 was the first survey to be reviewed by the SSEAG. The focus of the ethical review was to ensure that the rights and best interests of the survey participants and relevant CSO staff were fully protected and taken into account in the survey design and collection methods, as well as the implementation of the survey methodology, processing and analysis of data. It also considered how to deal with World Health Organisation principles on the ethical obligation to ensure the survey’s findings were properly interpreted and used to advance policy and intervention development. It was acknowledged by the Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and stakeholders working in the area of sexual violence that the CSO’s Sexual Violence Survey was conducted in an ethically robust manner.
Over the decades, the CSO has built up a high level of trust by demonstrating our ability to gather, analyse, and publish data that informs society while protecting the confidentiality of citizens and enterprises. This trust is built on social acceptance, which is the willingness of people to accept and support our work. Ethical considerations play a role in building social acceptance.
Official statistics are a public good and play an essential part in creating an informed society for the people of Ireland.
Being transparent about the source of the data, providing evidence of necessity and proportionality when collecting data, and applying the stringent protections we have in place to protect confidentiality, are key to maintaining and enhancing public support for our work.
Ethical and social acceptance considerations inform the decision making of the Director General. The Director General is independent and has ultimate responsibility for deciding on the statistical methodology and upholding the professional statistical standards of the Office as stated in the Statistics Act.
User feedback also informs the work of the CSO. The CSO works with liaison groups, the National Statistics Board, focus groups, and our Peer Review process includes feedback from a range of external users.
The Bureau of the Conference of European Statisticians (CES), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), and Eurostat, are part of the coordination of statistical activities and are actively considering the best approach to building ethical frameworks and how to build trust and social acceptability around the work of NSIs. A subgroup of the Expert Group on European Statistical System Strategic Communication on social acceptability is chaired by the CSO. In June 2023, the CSO presented a paper on ‘An Ethical Approach to the Development of Social Acceptance Strategies for National Statistical Institutes’. The paper defined the concept of social acceptability, explored how it relates to ethics and to the work of NSIs, and considered how it is a crucial component in building trust with users and data suppliers.
We work to international standards and methods to promote trust in our statistics