Five public institutions have formed the Public Engagement in Data Research Initiative (PEDRI), to increase public involvement in decisions about the use of data.
The founding organisations are the Office for National Statistics (ONS), NHS England, Administrative Data Research UK, Data and Analytics Research Environment UK and Research Data Scotland.
The five organisations said they had come together as a partnership to ensure the public are aware of how their data are being used and “to better understand how they would like data to be presented”.
“Data, in all forms, are part of our daily lives and we have seen, especially during the pandemic, the vital role official statistics play in making timely decisions for the benefit of our society and the economy,” said Sir Ian Diamond, national statistician at the ONS.
“In these challenging times, it’s more important than ever to ensure that the public – our most important stakeholder – is happy for us to continue collecting data from across society and will benefit from the statistics we create. That is why it’s imperative we seek out the views of the public and involve them in decisions about their data.
“This new partnership will improve how everyone in the data space engages with the public. This, in turn, will increase the quality of the data available to us to address a wide range of challenges, from the rising cost of living to regional deprivation and inequality,” Sir Diamond said.
PEDRI said putting public engagement best practice into place with those working in data research was its first priority. The organisation then plans to deal with gaps in resources and information. This will be done through both national and local information campaigns, a statement said.
