The presidents of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine have released a statement urging federal leaders to respect and safeguard the integrity and objectivity of federal statistical agencies and the information they produce, which is vital to public policy and essential to the nation’s economic well-being.
This statement cites the eighth edition of Principles and Practices for a Federal Statistical Agency, which reinforces the invaluable role of relevant, credible, trusted, independent, and innovative government statistics.
Read the StatementThe Committee on National Statistics was established in 1972 at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to improve the statistical methods and information on which public policy decisions are based. The committee carries out studies, workshops, and other activities to foster better measures and fuller understanding of the economy, the environment, public health, crime, education, immigration, poverty, welfare, and other public policy issues. It also evaluates ongoing statistical programs and tracks the statistical policy and coordinating activities of the federal government, serving a unique role at the intersection of statistics and public policy. The committee’s work is supported by a consortium of federal agencies through a National Science Foundation grant and several individual contracts.