Data Manifesto

The RSS Data Manifesto gives ten recommendations on how the UK government can improve data for policymaking, democracy and for the prosperity of society as a whole.

In the manifesto, the RSS calls for, amongst other things, official statistics to be at the heart of policy debate, for greater investment in research and development, as well as public involvement in the conversation about how data is used.

The current version of our Data Manifesto was published in 2019.

Data Manifesto (PDF)

The ten recommendations are:
1. Ensure official statistics are at the heart of policy debate
2. Commit to greater data sharing between government departments for statistics and research purposes
3. Champion basic training in data handling and statistics for politicians, policymakers and other professionals working in public services
4. Maintain the commitment to keep pace with other leading scientific nations on investment in research and development
5. Give the Office for National Statistics and the wider Government Statistical Service adequate resources
6. Prepare for the data economy by skilling up the nation
7. Involve the public in shaping the conversation about how data is used
8. Misinformation needs countering but without undermining free speech
9. Move beyond averages and break down data to a much more granular level
10. Keep data regulation updated to protect the public