The Statistics Under Pressure initiative aims to support statisticians providing data and analyses at pace to inform time-pressured decisions. It can be challenging to judge when imperfect statistics are good enough to inform decision-making, and which trade-offs can appropriately be made. These considerations are crucial to allow data and statistics to best inform decision-making. 
 
We have developed a series of case studies, covering prominent statistical and data projects, to illustrate instances in which compromises had to be made for statistics and analyses to feed in to decisions. Looking across these case studies and through discussion with a range of stakeholders, we have developed a set of principles that statisticians should be consider when making trade-offs.
 
Join us to find out more about the initiative, case studies and principles from Statistics Under Pressure steering group members. Hear behind-the-scenes insights about the trade-offs balanced when developing Furlough statistics at pace during the Covid-19 pandemic. We will end with plenty of time for discussion on the initiative and the lessons that can be learned to empower statisticians to balance trade-offs and provide the best possible statistics, data, and analyses under pressure.
 

• Christl Donnelly – member of Statistics Under Pressure steering group, RSS Vice President for External Affairs, Professor of Applied Statistics at University of Oxford and Visiting Professor at Imperial College London 
• Clare Griffiths - member of Statistics Under Pressure steering group, previously Head of the UK COVID-19 dashboard, currently Head of Public Health Analytical Product Development at the Department for Health and Social Care
• Kate Sweeney, Deputy Director, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), developed Furlough statistics during the Covid-19 pandemic

Contact Deniz Gursul