5 Communicating migration statistics
64. In May 2013, we published a report into communicating
statistics. In that report, we concluded that significant improvements
can be made to the ease of access to, presentation and explanation
of government statistics.[58]
This section builds on that work and examines specific issues
with the presentation and dissemination of migration statistics
in particular.
65. Respondents to the Committee's call for evidence
welcomed recent improvements in the reporting of migration statistics,
including in the ONS Migration Statistics Quarterly Report and
the increasing breadth of migration statistics published by the
Home Office.[59] Users
of migration statistics also said the ONS and Home Office engaged
positively with users: they were responsive to feedback and generally
implemented users' suggestions where they could.[60]
66. However, several users expressed concern that,
despite improvements in the communication of migration statistics,
there remained a considerable lack of understanding of migration
statistics among the general public.[61]
They noted that, in the public debate about levels of migration,
people frequently confused immigration with net migration and
did not understand the role of emigration in population change.[62]
67. The Government's policy places all its emphasis
on reducing net migration. Research on public attitudes to migration
suggests the public is most concerned about immigration rather
than the level of net migration.[63]
It also suggests that members of the public identify "immigrants"
using a different definition than that used in official statistics.[64]
68. The net migration target can disguise the
nature of actual population change in the terms which concern
many members of the public. Members of the public do not always
understand the distinction between immigration and net migration,
and many are more concerned by some types of immigration than
others. The Government should do more to enable better public
understanding of migration, in order for the net migration target
to be meaningful to, and understood by, the public.
69. Users of migration statistics also felt the public
did not appreciate the degree of uncertainty surrounding migration
estimates and thought it could be given greater prominence in
official releases.[65]
The British Society of Population Studies told us:
While the ONS website provides clear guidance
on the degree of uncertainty that is attached to its estimates
of international migration, this is not nearly so evident in the
summary publications that are most accessible to the media and
the public at large. If it were, then surely there would have
been greater pressure placed by the electorate on government to
improve the quality of the statistics on international migration.[66]
70. Some users said that while the reporting of migration
statistics was effective for expert users, it was ineffective
for non-expert and occasional users of the data, such as journalists
and members of the public.[67]
Users complained that the ONS and Home Office websites were difficult
to navigate. The Oxford Migration Observatory wrote:
At the Migration Observatory we get calls and
emails regularly from migration statistics users who are looking
for specific migration statistics on the websites of the Office
for National Statistics or the Home Office and are unable to find
what they are looking for. Often these data are simply not available,
but on many occasions the data are available on the ONS or HO
websites, but it is difficult for the "casual" user
(e.g. NGO, journalist, council employee, academic, etc.) to find
the information. In particular, it is easy to reach the migration
statistics page. However, once there the user is presented with
hundreds of Excel files with limited explanation of which data
they contain and it is challenging for non-experts to make sense
of all the information available and find a specific series.[68]
71. The British Geographical Society echoed this
criticism and noted that: "The LTIM estimates are difficult
to locate on the ONS website and it is difficult to switch between
the data, methodology and interpretation".[69]
72. The ONS and Home Office have both taken steps
to improve the presentation of migration statistics online. The
ONS recently added a new topic page on migration to its website,
which summarises the most recent headline migration estimates
and includes links to relevant statistical releases. The Home
Office website recently moved to Gov.uk, a new website for government
departments that is designed to make it easier for users to find
the information they need. The Home Office also publishes an Immigration
Statistics User Guide as part of its quarterly immigration statistics,
which provides table by table guidance on the available data.
73. Public understanding
of migration statistics is poor. This is partly because migration
is a complex phenomenon, but also because official migration statistics
do not present a full and accurate picture of migration to and
from the UK. As a consequence, the public debate about migration
has too often focussed on the headline measure of net migration,
without considering the size and composition of its component
flows, the range of behaviour it summarises, and the different
types of people it covers.
74. We welcome improvements in the reporting of
migration statistics by the Home Office. The Home Office has substantially
increased the range of data it publishes on immigration control.
The Home Office Immigration Statistics User Guide is an effective
summary and explanation of the available statistics. We also welcome
the new Home Office website at Gov.uk, which addresses some of
the criticisms of the Home Office website made in evidence to
this inquiry.
75. We welcome improvements in the reporting of
migration statistics by the ONS, including the Migration Statistics
Quarterly Report, which summarises the most recent migration statistics,
and the new topic page for migration on the ONS website. However,
the clarity and accessibility of the information that the ONS
provides on migration statistics could still be improved. The
ONS has improved the presentation of the material it publishes
on migration statistics but it should also consider the content
of this material, and the way it is explained and presented. The
aim should be that a non-expert user should be able to develop
an understanding of migration statistics with no prior knowledge
or experience. Migration statistics should be presented alongside
related guidance on their sources, methodology, use and interpretation.
76. The ONS should produce a user guide to
ONS migration statistics similar to the Home Office's Immigration
Statistics User Guide. This should explain what migration statistics
measure, how they are produced, and what data are available—including
table by table guidance. It should be honest and open about the
weaknesses of the data.
58 Public Administration Select Committee, First Report
of Session 2013-14, Communicating statistics: Not just true
but also fair, HC 190 Back
59
Ev w2, Ev w8, Ev w8, Ev w18 Back
60
Ev w2, Ev w8, Ev w8, Ev w18, Ev w22 Back
61
Ev w2, Ev w10, Ev w18, Ev w22, Ev w27 Back
62
Ev w2, Q 2 Back
63
Oxford Migration Observatory, Thinking Behind the Numbers:
Understanding Public Opinion on Immigration in Britain, October
2011 Back
64
As above Back
65
Ev w2, Ev w10, Ev w18 Back
66
Ev w2 Back
67
Ev w2, Ev w8, Ev w10, Ev w18 Back
68
Ev w10 Back
69
Ev w1 Back
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