Use of administrative data for statistical purposes John Cornish

UN Principles Principle 5 Data for statistical purposes may be drawn from all types of sources, be they statistical surveys or administrative records. Statistical agencies are to choose the source with regard to quality, timeliness, costs and the burden on respondents.

Opportunities to use admin data vary across countries Different levels of govt Public attitudes Concerns to reduce reporting loads Computerisation & maintenance of records

Statistical uses of admin data Input to registers Frames for survey selection, with stratification Benchmarks for survey estimation Data source – fully in own right or partially as auxiliary information for survey estimation Linking to enrich other sources Quality validation

Advantages Reduces load on respondents Can be less expensive than direct collection ‘Full’ coverage avoids sampling error & allows estimates to be produced for small areas and subgroups Longitudinal analysis

Disadvantages No direct control over source – can be stopped, reduced in coverage, changes made to definitions etc, Often created decentralised with variations across sources Units are often not ideal Limited explanatory variables restricts richness Timeliness can be an issue Records may not be computerised NB Usually produce estimates different from direct statistical collection which need to be explained

Quality & skills issues Not necessarily lesser quality than direct collection, just different quality to understand & manage Coverage Consistency over sources & time Non-standard variables Missing data Timeliness Statistical techniques needed for Coverage adjustments Handling late or missing records, duplicates Modelling & linking

Statistical vs administrative use Important distinction NSO should avoid involvement with administrative use and mixing uses Hence separate out statistical use

Strategies for increasing use Government support Organisational commitment from the top Set goals eg reducing response loads Develop relationships with data sources Understand quality and its management

Relationships are critical Need understanding on both sides Work on relationships at all levels Offer help and expertise (skills, systems, coders, outputs) Helps to create a win-win situation (eg produce statistics needed by source owners) Back up with Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)

Admin records are pervasive Compulsory/legal requirements – taxation Entitlements, benefits – social security Registers – people, events eg births Transactions – imports/exports, hospital visits Financial records – hospitals, govt agencies Enrolments – schools Environmental data

Business Registers Taxation systems usually provide comprehensive coverage of businesses Ideal source of a frame for economic surveys But also valuable source of statistics

Population & Social Births, deaths Government social programs usually produce admin records Health – cause of death, hospital morbidity Education – enrolments, qualifications Social welfare